Nautilus Telegraph April 2017

Rescuers praised UK ship helped save more than 900 in the Med 19

Deep green Master tells of his ‘eco warrior’ career at sea 27

NL nieuws Vier pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 32-35

Volume 50 | Number 04 | April 2017 | £3.50 €3.70

Alarm raised as Somali pirates resume action written to the UK foreign F secretary Boris Johnson seeking Nautilus International has

A French Navy team approach Aris-13 after the pirate attack on the vessel last month Picture: EUNavfor

assurances over protection for merchant shipping off the coast of Somalia, following confirmation of the first hijacking in the area for almost five years.

And the International Maritime Organisation has urged ships to increase vigilance after the Comorosflagged tanker Aris-13 was hijacked and its eight crew were held captive by armed pirates in an anchorage off the north coast of Puntland.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the incident was extremely worrying. It was known that Somali pirates had retained the capability to resume attacks on shipping, he pointed out, and this had been demonstrated late last year when the UK-flagged chemical tanker CPO

Korea managed to thwart an attack 330nm off the country’s coast.

Mr Dickinson warned the foreign secretary of the need to maintain the EU Naval Force (EU Navfor) presence in the face of evidence showing the continuing risk to shipping in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. He asked him to comment on reports that the diversion of EUNavfor assets to the Mediterranean in response to the migrant crisis may have been a factor in the successful attack on Aris-13.

The 1,800dwt vessel and its Sri Lankan crew were released by the pirates four days after the boarding.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force declined to comment on whether a ransom that the hijackers demanded had been paid.

IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim urged ‘diligent application’ of Best Management Practices in the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean.

Study calls for end to EU crew rules Nautilus warning as owners’ report recommends end to nationality link to state aid guidelines

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Nautilus has voiced concern about a new report on European shipping policy which suggests that EU flag links and the few remaining crew nationality requirements should be removed on ships supported by state aid guidelines.

The study — carried out for the European Community Shipowners’ Associations by the consultancy firm Monitor Deloitte — was published to coincide with last month’s European Shipping Week and to feed into the review of EU maritime policy.

Researchers compared the regulatory regime in Europe with five other major global maritime centres — Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai and Vancouver — to assess the international competitiveness of the EU’s policy framework.

They benchmarked the centres on a number of key criteria,

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including: taxation and fiscal incentives; availability of professional services; regulatory, economic and political factors; skills, flag attractiveness; ease of doing business; legal framework for vessel exploitation; and availability of finance.

The report concludes that the European policy framework ‘generally facilitates a competitive EU sector, but that there are significant policy gaps’ compared with the other centres.

Researchers noted that the growth in tonnage owned and operated in the EU is lagging behind such centres. The report warns that European flags are ‘losing ground’ on the share of the world merchant fleet — with the EU’s share of the global fleet falling by 4% since 2010.

The report highlights ‘a need for formulating a renewed, overall comprehensive policy for

shipping’ in Europe and argues that ‘in the light of aggressive policies from competitors, the current state aid guidelines can be further improved from a competitiveness perspective’.

It says Europe should do more to support the wider maritime cluster and points to the way in which Singapore provides support that is closely linked to the supply and demand for skills.

Noting that EU seafarer numbers have not increased in line with the growth of EU-owned shipping, the report warns of ‘a gap in terms of an integrated targeting of skills development in the entire maritime cluster’.

While the EU state aid guidelines allow up to 100% subsidies for maritime training to be given, in practice most member states only cover around 50% of costs, the study points out. This compares unfavourably with

Singapore, where support totals between 70% to 90% of costs.

The report claims that some EU registers retain ‘specific national requirements and crewing restrictions that also lead to increased economic and administrative burdens’. It argues that requirements for EU/EEA seafarers ‘lead to an increase in operating costs and limit much-needed operational flexibility under such flags vis-à-vis benchmarked centres without such requirements’.

ECSA president Niels Smedegaard said the study should serve as the basis for discussion on EU shipping policy over the next decade. ‘It is encouraging to see that the EU is in a good position and does not need a dramatic policy change,’ he added. ‘But global competition is fierce and we cannot take our position for granted.’

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the report

was right to identify the scale of competition from other parts of the world, but ‘woefully wrong’ to recommend the abolition of the link to EU flags and the last crew nationality rules.

‘We have consistently spotlighted the need to look at the positive and proactive policies being implemented in other countries,’ he added. ‘This research confirms our concern that European flag states need to raise their game if we are to retain a global lead in many key sectors.

‘However, seafaring skills and experience are a fundamental component and further deregulation of crewing and flag requirements are another example of the European shipping wanting something for nothing,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘If they need state aid, then they must commit to their flag and European crew.’ g Special report — pages 20-21.

On the cards should find the postcard above F accompanying this issue — and UK-resident Telegraph readers

Nautilus is urging you to send it to your MP as part of a call for action to curb the numbers of Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CECs) being given to non-domiciled officers.

The initiative is being launched this month as part of the Union’s Jobs, Skills and the Future campaign to highlight the damage being done to UK seafarer employment and training by the thousands of CECs being issued. g If you haven’t got a card with your Telegraph, or if you would like more to give to family and friends, email enquiries@nautilusint.org. g Find out more on page 18.

Inside F Mercy mission

Nautilus supports a member serving on the world’s biggest hospital ship — page 25 F Training for RFA

Specialist centre gives Royal Fleet Auxiliary valueadded training — page 26

F Beating bribery

How ship owners have started to say no to bribery and corruption in ports around the world — page 27

22/03/2017 12:46

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

UK growth study ‘isn’t delivering’ Parliamentary inquiry warned of increasingly urgent need for real action

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The UK government’s Maritime Growth Study (MGS) is failing to deliver the support that is needed to prevent further decline of the red ensign fleet and a continued reduction in the number of British seafarers, Nautilus is warning a parliamentary inquiry.

In evidence submitted to the House of Commons transport committee, the Union says the continued absence of any substantial action to assist the industry confirms its fears that difficult decisions on spending have been ‘kicked into the long grass’.

The influential all-party committee is investigating progress of the growth study recommendations since they were published in September 2015, and considering whether steps taken to grow the UK flag and address skills shortages have been successful.

Nautilus has welcomed the inquiry and underlined the urgency of delivering ‘effective measures to achieve the objectives set out by the MGS’.

But its written submission to the committee warns that the underlying trend of decline in the UK Ship Register is continuing, and latest official statistics show a worrying downturn in the number of UK deck and engineer officers, as well as a slump in the cadet intake.

Nautilus argues that the industry’s plans for the improved SMarT Plus training support package offer ‘one of the most important, yet simple to deliver, methods of securing the core objectives of the growth study’.

It also warns: ‘The MGS failed to produce policy proposals to address the loopholes in employment and equality legislation that continue to enable the existence

of unfair competition in sectors of the industry which have traditionally been a stronghold for the employment and training of British seafarers — notably ferries and offshore support vessels.’

The Union urges MPs to look at the proactive policy initiatives being taken by many other major maritime nations, pointing out that protectionist measures are increasing around the world and underlining the case for the UK to maximise the opportunities allowed under the EU state aid guidelines.

The RMT union also warned that the growth study’s failure to tackle the core issues means that it is ‘unlikely to prevent the country from entering a damaging and dangerous maritime skills deficit by the start of the next decade’.

It said safety could be at risk as a result of the reform of the

Maritime & Coastguard Agency and deregulation of the UK Ship Register.

And the UK Chamber of Shipping evidence pointed to ‘the lack of substantial progress in boosting the UK’s maritime competitiveness’.

It called for ‘a new sense of urgency’ within government and said that the SMarT Plus proposals should be taken forward at the earliest opportunity.

Other organisations that have submitted evidence include Maritime UK, the UK Marine Pilots’ Association, Maritime London, and the Maritime Skills Alliance.

Noting that the Department for Transport is also reviewing progress on the Maritime Growth Study, the committee has extended its deadline for evidence until 2 June before commencing a series of oral evidence sessions.

Women warn on mental health and PPE F

Pictured right is the Nautilus International delegation to this year’s TUC Women’s Conference — industrial organiser Lisa Carr and members Dawn Franklin and Jessica Tyson.

Ms Franklin moved a motion at the meeting highlighting the problems of workplace stress and the particular challenges facing seafarers as a result of long working hours and frequent absences from home.

She spoke of the need to increase awareness of mental health problems to enable early intervention and to prevent the subject from being treated as a taboo.

And she told the meeting there should be measures in place enable seafarers to flag up stress-related factors at work and for owners to provide them with access to recreational and welfare facilities

including adequate shore leave and access to communications including the internet.

Captain Tyson spoke in support of a motion on ill-fitting personal protective clothing and equipment

— warning that seafarers often have to make do with equipment that is supplied purely on the basis of compliance with regulations rather than addressing the core functions of protecting and saving lives.

‘PPE should be there to make our working lives safer and healthier,’ she told the conference. ‘But when it doesn’t fit properly, it can actually make things more dangerous.’

‘For example, the fire-fighting suits on most commercial vessels are of a single size and shape that are not a good fit for women — and men — of different sizes,’ Capt Tyson said. ‘A lot of PPE is manufactured to traditional specifications, which means it is often not suitable for the increasing number of women seafarers.

‘When it doesn’t fit properly, PPE such as gloves, goggles, boots and overalls become uncomfortable and distracting, less effective, and may actually raise the risk of suffering a workplace injury,’ she warned.

‘There’s ultimately a risk that people may decide not to use PPE at all if it doesn’t feel right.’

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Work on the Seafarers UK centenary accommodation and care wing at Mariners’ Park is due to be completed in the summer

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assistant organiser Lee Moon is A the latest group of Nautilus members

Pictured above alongside senior

to have completed the Union’s advanced lay reps course: left to right, Elliot Layfield, Tom Calderbank, Russell Downs, Adam Keen, Lee Moon, Martyn Gray, Stuart Bott and Stuart Spencer.

The three-day course — which takes place in Quorn, in Leicestershire — aims to enhance members’ existing expertise by covering issues such as negotiating skills, employment rights and relevant employment tribunal decisions.

At the end of the training, lay

rep Russell Downs told the Union: ‘The course gave me a better understanding of how speaking and body language in talks can have an impact.’ His comments were supported by Tom Calderbank, who added: ‘The course has really given me confidence. I feel much more armed and informed to undertake my role.’ g The next advanced lay reps course is scheduled to take place from 22 to 24 November, while the next essential lay reps training will take place from 24 to 26 May. Both sessions will be held at the Quorn Grange Hotel. For further details, email reps@nautilusint.org or call +44 (0)151 639 8454.

British mission to China F

The Cunard cruiseship Queen Mary hosted a top-level trade mission in China to promote the UK as the world’s leading maritime centre.

Organised by Maritime UK and the Department of International Trade, the three-day mission to Shanghai used the ship to ‘promote UK excellence across shipping, ports, marine, and business services’.

‘The UK and China are two of the

world’s leading maritime powers, and this trade mission is designed to further strengthen relations between our two countries, delivering benefits for both markets,’ said Maritime UK chairman David Dingle. ‘As the UK triggers Article 50 and looks to a future outside the European Union, the maritime sector has a unique and critical role in ensuring the country makes a success of Brexit.’

Picture: Janina Struk

Dinner delivers boost to new facilities at Mariners’ Park The project to build a major new extension to Nautilus International’s welfare facilities at Mariners’ Park, Wallasey, has received a major boost — despite a big storm which almost put a dampener on a fund-raising event in Liverpool last month.

More than 100 guests braved the 100mph winds of Storm Doris and the associated travel disruption to attend a dinner at the Merseyside Maritime Museum marking the centenary of the charity Seafarers UK (originally the King George’s Fund for Sailors).

The evening is expected to have raised around £25,000. Nautilus

Lay reps advance with Union’s latest course

general secretary Mark Dickinson told guests that the funds will go towards the costs of building the new Seafarers UK Centenary Wing at Mariners’ Park — which will provide an additional 22 single and double occupancy rooms for retired seafarers and their dependants when it opens in the summer.

Mr Dickinson spoke of his personal gratitude about the assistance given by Seafarers UK. Last year, the charity awarded more than 70 grants totalling £2.5m, he noted, and there are some 633,000 ex-seafarers and dependants in the UK who potentially need its support.

Federation is now 15 strong has its 15th member — the F French union FGTE-CFDT, which

The Nautilus Federation now

represents seafarers serving in the large yacht sector and on inland waterways.

Pictured above with Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson and international officer Nick Bramley are FGTE-CFDT general secretary Edgar Stemer and international secretary Valerie Latron after a meeting in London last month to formalise the French organisation’s membership of the global grouping of like-minded

maritime professionals’ unions.

‘It’s great to have the FGTE-CFDT onboard and part of the Nautilus Federation family,’ said Mr Dickinson.

‘I am particularly pleased about cooperating in inland waterways, but equally also the degree to which this partnership can improve our ability to assist our members in the large yacht sector based in the South of France. Joining forces with a French maritime union opens up really exciting possibilities to improve our effectiveness on the ground in support of our respective members and potential members.’

22/03/2017 17:19

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

ITF ends Malaviya crew’s ordeal were stranded on an offshore A support vessel in the UK port of Great Twelve Indian seafarers who

Yarmouth for almost eight months have returned home with the wages they were owed — thanks to Nautilus/ITF inspector Paul Keenan.

General secretary Mark Dickinson welcomed the result last month — but told a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Ports & Maritime Group that it was ‘absolutely outrageous in this day and age to have a case like this which does so much damage to the employment and training of UK seafarers’.

The 2,151gt Indian-flagged Malaviya 20 was detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in June last year after an inspection revealed deficiencies including unpaid wages and problems with Seafarer Employment Agreements.

The company then paid some of the money it owed the seafarers and some of them were repatriated, but when no further action was taken to settle the remaining outstanding wages the ITF arrested the ship on the crew’s behalf in December.

Mr Keenan said this resulted in the bank that owned the vessel contacting the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Nautilus/ITF inspector Paul Keenan helps the Malaviya 20 crew to begin their return home Picture: Maurice Gray

It sent over a representative for a meeting with the ITF in January at which it agreed to pay all owed wages to the crew currently on the vessel and those who had left earlier.

‘In all, US$689,679 was paid to a total of 33 crew who were owed wages dating back to October 2015,’ Mr Keenan added.

He paid tribute to the determination of the seafarers and the support they were given by the local community and port chaplain, as well as the MCA. ‘In the time when they were abandoned some had taken loans out so that their families could survive,’ Mr Keenan added. ‘They all said that what they need now

is to spend some time with family and friends before they think about going back to sea.’

The crew of the detained sister ship Malaviya Seven remain stranded in Aberdeen, where their vessel has been detained since June last year. The ITF is moving to arrest the ship in an effort to secure their wages and tickets home.

Industry unites in call for action Unions and owners warn Parliamentary meeting over UK shipping’s crisis

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All sides of the British shipping industry came together at the House of Commons last month to make a united call for urgent government action to prevent catastrophic further decline of the UK merchant fleet and the country’s seafaring skills base.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, RMT national secretary Steve Todd and Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten — all former seafarers — spoke about the crisis facing the sector in an hour-long meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Ports & Maritime Group.

Mr Dickinson told how the attempts by successive governments to end the decline in British shipping over the past 30-plus years have only managed to slow the losses rather than reverse them.

Latest official statistics show a 14% reduction in the number of UK seafarers over the past decade, he added, and Mr Todd warned that the total is set to fall by a further third over the next decade unless current recruitment and training trends are reversed.

Fewer than half the seafaring jobs on European ships are filled

by EU or EEA nationals, Mr Todd pointed out, and barely 10% of the

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Left to right: Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten, RMT national secretary Steve Todd, and Parliamentary Maritime Group co-chairman Jim Fitzpatrick MP

ratings serving on British ships are UK nationals. ‘It really is an appalling state of play,’ he added.

Mr Dickinson said the government should act on the SMarT Plus proposals for improved training support, which had been put forward by the industry partners. The SMarT scheme now covers only one-third of training costs, compared with the average 50% support given across Europe, he said.

‘In Asia, the figure is between 70% and 90% — that is the cost

differential we are seeking to address,’ he added.

Mr Platten said there is no shortage of young people seeking a career at sea. However, he argued, UK training costs are very high and SMarT Plus would help to ease the competitive pressures.

The Chamber leader said this year’s cadet intake is around 770 — well below the 1,200 level needed to meet future needs — but owners have pledged to increase numbers if the SMarT Plus plan is approved.

‘For every £1 invested in seafarer training, the government will get £9 back — that’s a very good rate of return,’ he added.

Lord Mountevans, who led the government’s Maritime Growth Study, said he was concerned that while ‘maritime runs deep in our national DNA’, awareness of the sector is being lost. And he said he was frustrated to see that while the UK is a nation of entrepreneurs, there is little new investment going into British shipping.

Former Royal Fleet Auxiliary Commodore Rob Dorey said he was worried that job losses caused by the downturn in the North Sea will lead to recruitment and training efforts being scaled back. ‘We want to be on the front foot when the industry starts to recover rather than feeling that we are depleted,’ he added.

Mr Dickinson said the UK needs to look at what other countries are doing to support their ships and seafarers — and it should pay particularly close attention to the US Jones Act. ‘We shouldn’t just keep on doing what we have always done, but should instead see what we can learn from the way in which the US has helped to sustain a domestic industry worth billions of dollars,’ he added.

shortreports PENSIONS PRAISED: the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund has won the coveted DB Scheme of the Year Award at the 2017 Pensions Age ceremony in London. The award recognises the work carried out

by Ensign Pensions to modernise the scheme through the creation of the Ensign Retirement Plan — a defined contribution, low-cost, quality pension scheme open to all maritime industry employees. MNOPF chair Rory Murphy said the fund had bucked the trend of many UK pension funds, increasing the funding level and saving employers an estimated £300m in deficit contributions over the last three years.

REEF WRECKED: Indonesia has lodged diplomatic protests with the UK after a British-owned cruiseship damaged more than 13,500 sq m of a coral reef after running aground in the West Papua province last month. Authorities said they would be seeking damages and filing lawsuits against the owners and captain of the Bahamas-flagged Caledonian Sky on charges of violating fisheries and environmental legislation. Each law carries jail terms of up to three years for negligence leading to destruction.

PAY PROTEST: the UK is in danger of suffering one of the worst pay squeezes anywhere in the world, the TUC has warned. A report on global wages published last month ranked the UK at 103 out of 112 countries for pay growth since the financial crisis began. TUC general secretary said workers are ‘facing the double whammy of rising prices and slower pay growth’.

QUEEN RISK: the former Cunard liner Queen Mary — which is now a floating hotel in Long Beach, in the United States— needs almost US$300m to prevent structural collapse, a new report has revealed.

Experts commissioned by the port authority where the ship has been moored since 1967 said the condition is ‘approaching the point of no return’.

IMO APPEAL: the International Maritime Organisation is being urged to improve the way it records cases of seafarer abandonment. The International Chamber of Shipping said changes to the database would help to improve knowledge about the extent of the problem and help to make the Maritime Labour Convention more effective.

CARGO CALL: marine insurers have called for the use of independent marine warranty surveyors to supervise high-risk marine construction and transportation projects. The recommendation came from the London P&I Club after an increase in the number of cases involving deck cargoes shifting in heavy weather.

FERRY RAISED: South Korea has begun work on raising the wreck of the ro-ro ferry Sewol, which sank in 2014 with the death of more than 300 passengers and crew. Relatives of those who died have been campaigning for an inquiry to establish the causes of the disaster.

CRUISE RECORD: a record 1.9m people from the UK and Ireland took a holiday on cruiseships last year, operators have revealed. Figures published by the Cruise Lines International Association last month also showed an 11% increase in the numbers taking river cruises.

GROUNDING ALARM: Norwegian authorities have blamed contaminated oil as the cause of propulsion failure which almost resulted in the grounding of a Comoros-flagged barge carrier off the country’s coast last month.

CERTIFICATE ALERT: authorities in Nigeria have complained about the proliferation of fake certificates being used by foreign seafarers serving on ships operating in the country’s cabotage trades.

BUNKER FIRST: the Belgian port of Zeebrugge has taken delivery of the world’s first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel — the 5,000 cu m capacity Koreanbuilt Engie.

22/03/2017 18:06

04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports

MSC visits to discuss fair pay frustrations

THAMES BONUS: all members employed

by Thames Clippers are to receive their 2016 bonus payments following confirmation from the company on the issue. Payments would only have been withheld for members with ‘live disciplinary sanctions’ on their files; however, this was not the case for any members for this period. Additionally, members have voted to reject a recent pay offer of a 1.25% increase with a 3% bonus based on departmental and passenger number targets.

HEYN HOPES: Nautilus has asked members employed by Heyn Engineering Solutions and serving onboard RV Corystes to submit their aspirations for the upcoming 2017 pay and conditions review. To help shape the Union’s pay claim, members have been asked to advise on any increases in officers’ workloads and responsibilities in the past 12 months. Views will be collected by the Union and must be submitted no later than midday, Monday 27 March.

right, are Maersk’s head of A UK shipping Nigel Lehmann-Taylor, Pictured above, from left to

master and Partnership at Work (PAW) representative William Munro, Nautilus national organiser Steve Doran, and PAW secretary Peter Gooch at pay talks at the

company’s offices in Newcastle.

The meeting — which took place on 23 February — was the first to discuss the Union’s pay and conditions claim for members working on Maersk tankers. A formal response from the company was expected late last month.

STENA CONSULT: members serving with Stena Marine Management on ro-ro and ro-pax ferries are being consulted on whether they are willing to accept the company’s ‘full and final’ pay offer, worth 1.2%.

National ferry officer Micky Smyth said the Union could not recommend acceptance as the offer falls well below RPI inflation and members are being asked whether they would be willing for Nautilus to conduct a ballot for industrial action.

PEEL TERMS: members serving as VTS officers with Peel Ports in Mersey have rejected proposals to change the terms and conditions of their contracts. The plans included updated terms affecting areas including overtime entitlement, rates of pay, professional competency, and shift arrangements. Industrial organiser Gary Leech has informed management of the consultation result.

A

Pictured above alongside Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth (fourth from left) and membership and research administrator Samantha Udall are liaison officers from Caledonian MacBrayne and representatives from

the company’s management.

The meeting took place at the company’s offices in Glasgow on 2 March 2017. Items discussed included the high level of call-back days, onboard connectivity and an update on the bid commitments in CHFS 2.

P&O MARITIME: Nautilus has presented P&O Maritime Services with pay claims seeking increases at least in line with RPI inflation for members serving onboard Prince Madog and Cefas Endeavour. The two claims will be discussed shortly.

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Nautilus is carrying out a series

frustrations over pay rates.

The Union is collecting feedback from members as part of an ongoing drive to tackle disparities in salary levels in comparison with companies such as Caledonian MacBrayne.

Nautilus industrial organiser Gary Leech — who met Scottish government officials to discuss the issue in February, along with liaison officer Tom Wilson — said management had told unions they could not commit to closing the gap as it was ‘beyond their remit’.

‘We met with Marine Scotland Compliance to discuss the various issues we know our members are experiencing,’ Mr Leech said. ‘Our

Emergency talks have been

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr is pictured with Global Marine Services representatives Paul Rose and Neil Carrington and liaison officers Iain Yaxley and Derek Smith at a Partnership at Work meeting. Issues discussed included a collective agreement on commission lengths.

point is that other seafarers doing similar — if not identical — jobs for other companies are being paid a fairer wage for their work and we think it’s only right the company acknowledge that.’

He said management had also downplayed concerns that there is a recruitment issue, claiming that only two people had left because of pay and that there had been more than 100 applications for six AB positions that were being advertised.

The first of five arranged ship visits took place in Leith onboard the Scotia on 16 March — pictured above — before a trip to the Minna in Greenock on 20 March. Further visits are due to take place on 30 March, 7 April and 12 April onboard Jura, Scotia and Hirta — all in Aberdeen.

Medway VTS rejection requested by Nautilus after F members employed by Peel Ports and

FISHER VIEWS: members employed by James Fisher have been asked to submit their views on the contents of this year’s pay and conditions claim ahead of a planned meeting between Nautilus and the company on 1 April. A Partnership at Work (PAW) meeting was also being planned, as the Telegraph went to print, with dates to be confirmed via bulletin.

LCT REQUEST: Nautilus has asked members employed by LCT Support Services (Newhaven) to submit their aspirations for the forthcoming pay and conditions review. Feedback will be collected by the Union to formulate the claim and must be submitted no later than midday on Monday 27 March.

of ship visits to discuss Marine F Scotland Compliance members’

serving in the Medway Navigation Service as VTS officers rejected the company’s contract amendment proposals in favour of potential industrial action.

The proposals included making five roles redundant, freezing pay for current VTS staff over an undefined period, and no compensatory salary increases for members working more than 39 to 40 hours — as is the case for staff based in Liverpool.

The company also proposed to appoint a new compliance officer with responsibility to act as relief for VTS operators, and that new starters in VTS roles should join on £29k whilst also being placed on three months’ notice should either they or the company look to terminate a contract.

Management said the package represented its final position.

However, following the rejection, Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard has called for emergency talks whilst also consulting members on the possibility of industrial action.

Sealion appeals on tribunal judgment Case will determine members’ rights to consultation on redundancies

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Nautilus International was last month awaiting a ruling on an appeal

by Seahorse Maritime against a judgment upholding the Union’s right to pursue an employment tribunal claim on behalf of members who were made redundant from Sealion vessels in 2015.

Between 2014 and 2016, Sealion’s staff numbers were cut from 800 to under 500, with the number of UK employees falling from 213 to 118 in the same period.

Lawyers for the company told an appeal hearing in London on 23 February that management did

not need to enter into collective discussions on the job losses as each ship was its own ‘business unit’ on which fewer than 20 jobs would be lost.

But the Union’s legal representatives pointed out that employees of the company had agreed to work on any vessel they were assigned to — not just one specific vessel — and that transfers can, and do, take place.

Nautilus stressed that the original tribunal ruling had determined that the individual ships operated by Sealion do not constitute separate establishments and that ‘employment

across the ships of the fleet on which employees were employed constitutes the establishment at which redundancies were proposed’.

While most seafarers served on the same ship for four– or six–week rosters, their contracts did not state any particular vessel as their place of work. Seahorse argued that most employees went from, and returned to, the same ship for a period of time and that each ship had a crew assigned to it by the company.

The outcome of the appeal will be crucial to the Union’s claim that UK-based officers should be

entitled to a protective award as a result of the company’s failure to consult over the redundancies.

Such an award could be worth up to a maximum of 90 days’ pay.

Speaking after the hearing, Nautilus director of legal services Charles Boyle said the Union hopes for a positive outcome, with important issues to be determined.

‘A second protective award claim has been made by Nautilus in relation to another group of members, so the success of that claim is likely to depend very much on the result of the EAT ruling in this case,’ he concluded.

22/03/2017 17:58

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Top-level talks in windfarm drive Union welcomes ‘best practice’ talks with National Workboat Association

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Nautilus has made important progress in its campaign to develop ‘best practice’ working conditions for seafarers in the expanding offshore windfarm sector.

Following the February Telegraph feature highlighting issues such as pay, working time and onboard accommodation, Nautilus strategic organiser Lee Moon and senior national organiser Garry Elliott met representatives of the UK’s National Workboat Association (NWA) on 10 March.

NWA secretary Mark Ranson, NWA chair Mark Meade and Neil Clarkson, managing director of NWA-affiliate, Windcat Workboats took part in the discussions.

They described how the association was formed 23 years ago, when several employers in the industry wanted to ensure that larger workboats could be covered by Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) codes, thereby providing the industry with opportunities to grow.

Since that time, increasing numbers of employers have joined the Association, bringing the total number of affiliates to 71.

The NWA representatives also explained about the organisation’s safety forum —formed three years ago and held quarterly around the UK — and invited a Nautilus representative to attend future meetings.

The NWA team agreed that the industry needs to find a way to move forward in talking about health and safety. They admitted that every time a tender is put out safety statistics are included, which could encourage less reputable employers to disguise poor performance.

The NWA reps also highlighted a further issue that cannot be ignored — commercial pressures. Some tenders are released,

shortreports QGTCMI AWARDS: performance bonuses and merit awards for good service will be carried forward this year, QGTCMI has confirmed. The news follows a meeting between Nautilus and the company to discuss this year’s pay claim — with confirmation that the rates will remain at the current levels. National organiser Steve Doran said it was ‘pleasing to note that despite continued difficult trading conditions, members will benefit from the performance bonus and merit award, as was the case during 2016’.

PNTL PAY: members employed by Pacific Nuclear Transport (INS) are being asked to submit their aspirations for this year’s pay and conditions negotiations. The Union is asking members to advise of any increases in officers’ workloads and responsibilities in the past 12 months. Views were being collected by the Union and had to be submitted no later than midday, Monday 27 March.

TRINITY DEAL: members employed by Trinity House have voted to accept a 1% pay award for 2016/17.

The offer — which is subject to public sector pay policy — will be consolidated back to 1 August 2016. National organiser Jonathan Havard has written to management to inform it of the members’ decision and is also visiting vessels to consult on next year’s negotiating strategy.

Nautilus officials Garry Elliott and Lee Moon with Windcat Workboats MD Neil Clarkson, National Workboat Association secretary Mark Ranson, and NWA chair and Holyhead Towing Company MD Mark Meade

they said, that require readying and refuelling a vessel not to be counted as part of the working day. The NWA position on this was clear: ‘It is unacceptable that customers think they can get away

with this.’

Other pressures come from construction site managers wanting increased speed of working when the weather could be affecting their deadlines. ‘Many

Nautilus industrial organiser Gary Leech is pictured onboard the wind turbine installation vessel MPI Adventure with bosun crane operator Alistair Ross, chief officer Andy Brown and master Gordon Comrie

experienced skippers know that they can speak up when asked to work unsafely,’ they said. ‘Newer skippers find it easier to leave that employment and join another ship or company relatively easily.’

Mr Ranson went to lengths to highlight the stance of the NWA with its members. ‘Despite many vessels not being required to comply with the MLC, we urge our affiliates to comply wherever possible. Some employers have even made changes to existing vessels to allow for daylight in cabins, for example,’ he said.

Nautilus senior national organiser Garry Elliott welcomed the ‘constructive’ discussions and added: ‘It is apparent that Nautilus and the NWA share many viewpoints, particularly around the safety, welfare and professional development of crew.

‘We welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with organisations around the world,’ he added, ‘and we urge the NWA and their affiliates to enter into partnerships with the Union to demonstrate their commitment to these areas.’

FAIRMONT CALL: Nautilus has submitted a pay claim for members employed by Fairmont Shipping Vancouver and serving onboard MOL vessels. The Union has requested a wage rise of at least 3% and permanent contracts for all members to include sick pay provision.

It has also requested that the company makes payments for STCW training requirements.

WESTERN RISE: a pay claim asking for an increase over and above the rate of inflation, has been submitted by Nautilus on behalf of members employed

by Western Ferries. National ferry organiser Micky Smyth submitted the claim in February and has begun negotiations with management.

CEMEX CLAIM: a 3% pay claim has been submitted

by Nautilus on behalf members employed by Cemex UK Marine. The Union says the claim is in line with the company’s performance over the past 12 months. Talks were due to be held late last month.

ORKNEY OFFICERS: two new liaison officers have been appointed to represent members employed

by Orkney Ferries. David Bruce and John Cowie were given the roles, which commenced on 1 March 2017 and run until 28 February 2020.

INTRADA INCREASE: Nautilus is seeking a pay increase worth at least RPI inflation for members employed on vessels managed by Intrada Ships Management.

Consultation on Stena pay Line across all the company’s F routes are being consulted about

Members employed by Stena

potential industrial action after management refused to improve a rejected pay offer.

The company has presented Nautilus with a ‘final’ two-year offer, worth 3%. The award would be front-loaded for year one, with no rise awarded during year two. It has rejected the Union’s counterproposals for either 2.6% for year one or a two-year deal of 2.6% for year one and October’s RPI for 2018.

Nautilus is now asking members whether they wish to reluctantly accept the offer or whether they wish to be balloted about industrial action.

National ferry organiser Micky Smyth urged members to respond before the deadline of 10 April.

04-05_at work.indd 5

The Tube, 86 North Street Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 8RA

Q Braids Q Work Wear Q Tropical Wear Q Cadet Uniforms Q Officers Uniforms

DELIVERY WORLDWIDE

crewing officer Dan Reed, vice president for HR A and crewing Gemma Griffin, and Nautilus national ferry Pictured above, left to right, are DFDS HR and

organiser Micky Smyth following a meeting in Dover on 7 March to discuss the Union’s pay and conditions claim.

Nautilus is seeking an increase over the current RPI rate of inflation, as well as an increase in the company’s pension contributions, and the introduction of annual leave and a company share scheme. A response from management was awaited late last month.

22/03/2017 17:21

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports OCG ROADSHOWS: Nautilus, the RMT, Unite, GMB and BALPA are urging members to come to a series of roadshows being organised by the Offshore Coordinating Group of unions. The events have been set up to gather feedback from members on the state of the industry and how it can improve. They will be held on Monday 3 April, 6pm to 8pm, (Newcastle Jurys Inn), Tuesday 4 April, 6pm to 8pm, (Glasgow Premier Inn on George Square), Wednesday 5 April, 6pm to 8pm, (Dundee Queens Hotel) and Thursday 6 April, 1pm to 3pm (Aberdeen Jurys Inn).

FUGRO FALL: the Dutch operator Fugro says it expects a further significant decline in revenue in the first half of 2017 — although it believes the decline will be less severe than in 2016 and will bottom out towards the latter part of the year. The company said it had reduced its employee head count by 1,430 last year and slashed operational costs by 27%.

FARSTAD MERGER: a three-way merger which will create the largest company in the high-end global OSV industry has begun. The deal will see Farstad Shipping join forces with Solstad Offshore and Deep Sea Supply and members have been told that ‘working groups with representatives from all companies’ have been established.

BOURBON SLUMP: French offshore operator Bourbon said it had put almost a third of its fleet into lay-up over the past year, warning that the marine services industry is going through the most acute crisis of the last 40 years. The company says it has cut its operating costs by 19% since 2015.

DELIVERIES DUE: a record total of 465 offshore support vessels are due to be delivered this year, according to a new report. The study, by VesselsValue, says 205 are set to go to owners in Malaysia and Singapore, with a further 36 ordered by Chinese operators.

SMIT VIEWS: Nautilus is seeking the views of members employed by Smit International (Scotland) ahead of the upcoming pay and conditions review.

Feedback will be used by the Union to formulate the pay claim and needed to be submitted by Monday 27 March.

LEGACY DEAL: a new recognition and procedural agreement has been signed by Nautilus and Legacy Acergy. The agreement gives Nautilus negotiating powers for members on 24 of the company’s vessels and covers members employed by Legacy Subsea 7.

SUBSEA CONTRACT: BP has awarded a major contract to Subsea 7 as part of the Mad Dog 2 deepwater development some 190 miles south of New Orleans.

Global buys Maersk cable layer increased its fleet with the A acquisition of a UK-flagged Maersk Global Marine Systems has

Supply Service cable layer.

The Essex-based company said it had bought the 6,296gt Maersk Recorder, pictured right, which has been renamed CS Recorder.

Built in 2000, the vessel has previously been chartered by Global Marine for numerous cable installation projects and has also completed work in the oil and gas and renewables sectors.

The company said it will use the vessel to support the growth of its telecoms installation business over the next four to five years.

Global Marine plans to equip the ship with a plough system and a remotely operated trenching vehicle to give it the ability to conduct the full range of telecoms installation projects.

The addition of CS Recorder brings the Global Marine fleet to 26 vessels, and the ship will replace the 14,300gt Cable Innovator, which is scheduled to become a dedicated maintenance vessel for a submarine

cable contract in the North American Maintenance Zone that is due to run until the end of 2024.

‘The addition of this latest vessel to our fleet demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensuring

the appropriate assets are available to meet our customers’ needs across the globe, and to our core business of telecoms cable installation,’ said Bruce Neilson-Watts, Global Marine telecoms MD.

Time to put people first, unions warn Operators told to stop the race to the bottom as signs of recovery emerge

P

With offshore operators reporting signs of recovery in the North Sea, Nautilus has joined with other unions in calling for companies to place a priority on stopping job losses and cuts in members’ terms and conditions.

A business outlook report published by Oil & Gas UK last month revealed that the industry has managed to almost halve operating costs over the past two years and that development costs have fallen by more than 50%.

The report highlights a 5% rise in output during 2016 and predicts that production will continue to increase over the next two years. Increased invest-

ment in new developments has brought 34 new fields into production since 2013, it adds, and a further 13 to 18 new fields could start work this year.

‘Confidence is slowly returning to the basin,’ said Oil & Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie. ‘The revival is led chiefly by exploration and production companies which may collectively see a return to positive cash-flow for the first time since 2013, provided costs are kept under control and commodity prices hold.

‘However, this is unlikely to translate immediately into reinvestment or increased activity,’ she warned. ‘The challenges for the basin ahead, particularly for

companies in the supply chain, are still considerable.’

The report estimates the companies in the supply chain have seen an average 30% fall in revenues over the last two years.

The Offshore Coordinating Group of unions — which includes Nautilus, the RMT, Unite, GMB and BALPA — said the report showed the need for the Scottish and UK governments to use their borrowing powers to support investment in the sector.

‘We also need the industry to stop the race to the bottom by awarding contract work to the lowest bidder and attacking the jobs, wages and conditions of offshore workers,’ said OCG chair Tommy Campbell. ‘Energy com-

panies have to realise that they can’t create a sustainable industry by slashing the number of skilled workers who are the bedrock of their success.’

Nautilus national organiser Steve Doran added: ‘For me, the companies I am in touch with are facing a tough 2017, with around 50% of vessels still in lay-up and a concerted effort to continue to drive down costs.

‘It is especially galling to see that companies employing western European and British seafarers are continuing to struggle to win tenders against others using seafarers from developing nations. It really is time our government intervened to protect jobs on its own doorstep.’

Broker urges caution on reactivating laid-up ships Sea offshore vessel owners not to reactivate F too much laid-up tonnage, despite improved A leading shipbroking firm has urged North

F

V.Ships Offshore has secured a contract to manage a new dive support vessel, pictured above, for the Singapore-based owner Ultra Deep Solutions.

The company will provide full technical and crew services for the

7,000dwt Lichtenstein— which is due to come into service shortly.

The ship — which can accommodate up to 130 personnel, including 30 crew, will be managed from the V.Ships Offshore Singapore office.

market conditions.

In a report last month, Norway-based Westshore Shipbrokers said there are clear signs of recovery — with rising rig activity levels and a number of major projects underway.

But it cautioned operators against moves to

06_offshore.indd 6

on the road to recovery at least.’

The report said there are signs that the market has tightened in Norway and in Aberdeen in recent weeks.

The Norwegian market has benefited greatly from the increased activity, it said, and it predicted that some support vessels owners may switch ships from the UK to Norway to take advantage of this.

Union gives VGG pay cut counter-proposals F

www.irishseafarerstax.ie

bring lots of vessels out of lay-up — warning that reactivating any more than eight anchor-handlers could prolong the period of depressed day rates.

‘Too many vessels too soon is the swing factor for this summer. It is the difference between rates being at 2014 levels, or staying at the levels we saw in 2016,’ the report added. ‘Either way, we still have some time to go before activity levels are back where we were three years ago, but we are

Nautilus has submitted counterproposals to VGG (Guernsey) in response to ‘unacceptable propositions’ made by the company that could see members on the dive support vessel agreement losing around half of their salaries if their vessels go into lay-up.

The company’s plans seek a 12.5% salary cut — which would increase

to 40% when a ship goes into lay-up.

These were dismissed by the Union as unworkable.

The counter-proposals would see marine crew consulted on a 4% pay cut, while those employed as dive techs would be consulted on compensation payments being removed from contracts and a move to a ‘guaranteed day contract’ model —

with the number of guaranteed days subject to negotiation.

The Union’s suggestion would ensure members’ salary levels are kept manageable whilst also helping to avoid the need for redundancies.

Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard said a response from management was expected by the end of March.

‘The original propositions made

by VGG were totally unworkable and completely unacceptable,’ Mr Havard stated.

‘Our suggestions would help the company make the savings they are needing to make whilst also ensuring our members’ salaries are not left devastated by huge cuts across the board.’

22/03/2017 18:00

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

IMO warned on ‘smart’ ship ops Flag states call for urgent assessment of regulations for autonomous vessels

P

Nautilus is backing a call from nine leading flag states — including the UK and the Netherlands — for an urgent review of the regulatory framework governing autonomous shipping operations.

A paper submitted to the International Maritime Organisation’s maritime safety committee warns that the increasing deployment of ‘smart’ shipping systems is driving a need for a clear and consistent application of IMO rules.

The document highlights the advances being made in such areas as remotely controlled and autonomous navigation, vessel monitoring and collision avoidance systems and points to ‘a lack of clarity’ over the way in which existing IMO instruments cover the operation of fully or partly automated ships.

The flag states — which also

include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea and the United States — note that some classification societies have already published design criteria and guidelines for autonomous ships, and some countries have developed national guidelines for smart ship operations in their waters.

However, the paper warns, as the number and size of autonomous ships increases such arrangements ‘may become unsustainable and potentially unsafe’.

It says there is a danger that smart ship operators could proliferate ‘in an unregulated manner which may lead to adverse impacts on maritime safety, security and the protection of the marine environment’.

The flag states want the IMO to conduct a regulatory scoping exercise to determine which of

its existing instruments preclude ‘unmanned operations’, which have no application to autonomous operations, and which ones would need to be amended to ensure that designers, builders, owners and operators have appropriate guidance.

The proposals also aim to make sure that there is a proactive and harmonised international approach to the regulation of smart ship operations.

Without such work, the document warns that there is a risk of different national regulatory frameworks which may render the construction and operation of autonomous ships unmanageable and may hamper innovation and technological developments.

It also points out that many of the issues which need to be considered relate to the interaction of autonomous systems and humans — either onboard other

vessels or in shore-based roles.

And, noting that full commercial operation of autonomous ships is likely to occur within the next decade, the flag states stress the urgency of starting the scoping exercise.

Nautilus professional and technical officer David Appleton commented: ‘The regulatory issues are only one of a number of obstacles that must be overcome before unmanned or autonomous shipping becomes a reality. By far the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption will be the business case, which is yet to be proven. The fact that the cosponsors of this paper have set a completion date of 2021 to simply identify the regulations that will need amending, let alone actually amending them, indicates that unmanned shipping is not as close as some would have us believe.’

Master is fined for being over alcohol limit been convicted of being drunk F in charge of his vessel in Belfast A containership master has

Caledonian MacBrayne apprentices Kathleen MacDonald, Jamie Humphreys and Daniel MacIntyre

CalMac praised for training work want to go to sea any more?

F Caledonian MacBrayne has reported Who says young people don’t

that 40 aspiring seafarers applied for each apprenticeship position it offered in the current academic year.

During an event to celebrate Scottish Apprenticeship Week last

month, the company revealed that it had received around 1,200 applications for the 30 available training positions.

And CalMac said that almost 90% of those who have qualified since 2013 have got jobs with the firm.

In a visit to CalMac’s headquarters, local MSP Stuart McMillan praised

the company’s commitment to training and said it was creating a skilled workforce who will make a vital contribution to the economy.

The Merchant Navy Training Board has named CalMac as one of the top five companies in the UK for maritime apprenticeship numbers.

Lough last year.

Belfast magistrates court heard that Captain Eugenijus Tulauskas, from Lithuania, was up to four times over the alcohol limit when he was arrested in September.

A marine pilot reported the master to police ashore after smelling alcohol on his breath and had to take control of the vessel to ensure its safe passage into harbour, the court was told.

Lawyers for Capt Tulauskas contested the charge, arguing that he was not on duty at the time of the offence.

The court heard that the master had told the authorities he had not consumed any alcohol in the previous four hours.

Capt Tulauskas was fined £1,350, with the district judge stating that she had decided not to impose the maximum penalty because the master was now unemployed after being dismissed by his company.

Herald disaster marked are P&O liaison officer Ken A Konasik, Nautilus general secretary Pictured above, left to right,

Mark Dickinson and national ferry organiser Micky Smyth outside St Mary’s Church in Dover following a service to mark the 30th anniversary of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.

The Union officials joined families and industry representatives at the service, organised by the Sailors’ Society, to remember the lives of the 193 people lost when the ro-ro ferry capsized while leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987.

Speaking after the event, Mr Dickinson said that despite the

tougher regulations introduced in response to the disaster, more work needs to be done to improve safety standards.

‘It sadly took something of the scale of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster to ensure international ferry safety regulations were reviewed,’ he said.

‘Now, 30 years on, we are rightly remembering those lost during this tragedy. Yet we still need to look at the lessons from this incident as many factors — including fatigue and the criminalisation of seafarers — remain issues to this day.

‘Nautilus is determined to keep raising awareness of these issues in order to prevent incidents like the Herald of Free Enterprise occurring again in the future.’

New guide for IGF training is agreed Merchant Navy Training Board’s F launch of new criteria for courses for Nautilus has welcomed the UK

seafarers serving on ships covered by the international code of safety for ships using gases or other lowflashpoint fuels (IGF).

Developed with significant input from the Union and in conjunction with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the 30-page document addresses basic and advanced training courses and is intended in particular for those serving on vessels using LNG as a bunker fuel or operating in a dualfuel function.

‘The prime purpose in producing this course has been to ensure the continued employability of engineer officers during what appears to be a rapid change to cleaner fuels,’ said senior national secretary Allan Graveson.

‘Customarily, engineer officers have had steam certificates endorsed for LNG where the vessel uses cargo

boil-off,’ he added. ‘This training is intended for those serving on ships where the fuel is carried as bunkers.’

The basic course — which has no entry requirements — focuses on the properties of fuels covered by the IGF Code and their associated hazards, and includes health, safety and environmental precautions. It also addresses bunkering, transfer and storage systems and operations.

The advanced course — aimed at management level officers — provides an understanding of the physical and chemical properties of IGF fuels and the safe management of fuel systems in compliance with regulatory requirements and onboard practices. It also covers the management of health and safety, emergency response and environmental precautions.

The basic course is intended to run over two working days, while the advanced course will be not less than 35 contact hours.

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22/03/2017 16:45

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

LARGE YACHT NEWS

Nautilus award for UKSA’s most Meet the socially-minded first-phase cadet Union at A

Lisa Maycock receives the Nautilus award from Danny McGowan

Union helps family of deckhand killed in fall from mast a member whose daughter died A in a fall from the mast of a 55m sailing Nautilus is providing support to

yacht in Jamaica last month.

The Union has offered professional and legal support to the family of Bethany Smith, who was working as a deckhand onboard the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged charter yacht Germania Nova when the accident occurred in the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, Portland, Jamaica.

Ms Smith, who was 18 years old, had been working on the vessel since February last year and was reported to have been cleaning the mast when ropes became undone and she fell to the deck. She was taken to Port Antonio Hospital, where she died from multiple injuries.

Nautilus national organiser Garry Elliott commented: ‘This is a shocking incident and we have conveyed our deepest sympathies to Bethany’s family. Her father is a member, and we have offered advice and

assistance at this time of need.’

In a statement, Niall Robinson, partner at Germania Nova’s charter agent Hill Robinson, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family, friends and fellow crew members at this very difficult time. Hill Robinson and the owners are doing everything possible to support the family and friends, and of course an immediate investigation is already underway.’

Friends of the family established a GoFundMe campaign to help them meet the major expenses resulting from the accident — including the costs of air fares, food and lodging — ‘to alleviate a portion of their financial stress, so they don’t have to worry about the costs of being together to lay Bethany to rest’.

The campaign raised more than US$20,000 within a week and the website page notes: ‘Bethany will be remembered for being a generous person and “a ray of sunshine” who brought laughter and music into the lives of those she met.’

Yacht crew join now! email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call +44 (0)151 639 8454

Nautilus has presented its first award for the ‘most sociallyminded student’ to UKSA professional superyacht cadet Lisa Maycock during the graduation ceremony for 25 phase one students last month.

The award was presented by Nautilus strategic organiser Danny McGowan and marked the Union’s two-year partnership with UKSA. ‘In the spirit of a union looking after its members, the award recognises the cadet for thinking of others in addition to themselves, for thinking of the safety and welfare of all their

crew, and for being a team player,’ he said.

‘As an organisation we genuinely value and recognise the huge effort that staff put into the pastoral care of students at UKSA. Our partnership also ensures cadets and their families have a further independent expert organisation to talk to from the beginning of their training and throughout their maritime career.’

Lisa, who began her training in October supported with a Trinity House bursary, said that knowing her fellow cadets had voted

overwhelmingly for her to receive the Nautilus award was a special honour.

Lisa — who was also presented with the UKSA Outstanding Achievement Award and Outstanding Academic Achievement Award — said she had chosen to do the course because she loves sailing and did not want to be stuck in an office every day. ‘The funding I have received from Trinity House has made such a difference as without it, I wouldn’t have been able to do the course,’ she added. g See feature, page 24.

Jobs boost as sector grows Agency study shows employment up by 37% since 2013

by Michael Howorth

P

New figures released by the Antibes-based recruitment agency YPI Crew reveal the strong state of demand for skilled seafarers in the superyacht sector.

The agency says that employment has been rising to match the expansion of the industry and the significant increases in the size of yachts. An average 100m superyacht requires around 50 crew, it notes, whereas 10 years ago the average superyacht employed a crew of around 13.

According to YPI, there has been a 37% increase in yacht crew jobs since 2013 and new candidate registrations were up by 22% last year.

The agency’s statistics show that, for the second year in a row, the category of yachts over 71m in length generated more jobs than

any other category — with 34% of total crew positions offered in this range.

Jobs offered on 51m-70m vessels came in second, with 32.4% of available positions. ‘The fact that this was not the case even three years ago shows that there has been an increase of 71m-plus yachts on the market, each requiring more crew than the average in previous years,’ YPI stated. ‘This is iterated by the 5% reduction of jobs in the 31m-50m category.

‘Coherent with the global yacht market, it comes as no surprise that 89.6% of crew recruitment is required for jobs on motor yachts, and just 9.4% on sailing yachts,’ the report said. ‘The consistent increase in the number and length of yachts means that there are more jobs for which to apply and more opportunities from which to benefit than in the past years.’

YPI said its 2016 data showed that 70.8% of positions offered were onboard private yachts.

‘This number justifies the advice of those recruitment agents who advise crew to target their efforts toward private vessels,’ it added.

The report says that only 29.2% of available positions were offered on charter vessels. And, ‘unsurprisingly, just 4.4% of crew positions were for yacht captain jobs in 2016’.

YPI crew director Laurence Lewis said ‘fittingly skilled and resilient candidates with a willingness to work hard’ would find that the superyacht sector offers good career prospects and good money.

‘There are excellent jobs and candidates out there, and the market is buoyant,’ Mr Lewis added.

‘The key is to be flexible and realistic — this goes for employees and employers alike.’

As part of our growing support for seafarers serving in the large yacht sector, all members are entitled to a free copy of the Nautilus service record book, which has been produced to assist in the recording and calculation of qualifying sea service for the purpose of certification.

Palma

Danny McGowan and Lee Moon A will be attending the 2017 Palma Nautilus strategic organisers

Superyacht Show on 28 and 29 April.

They will be meeting a number of strategic partners from the large yacht industry, including Dovaston Crew who are based in the city, but also wish to speak to Nautilus members — both current and potential — about issues they face in the industry.

This year’s show is set to be the biggest to date, with over 70 superyachts set to be present, and more exhibitors than ever in the event’s five-year history. Palma’s evergrowing reputation as a centre for sailing yacht expertise and technology naturally means that the show attracts a larger proportion of sailing yachts than many others.

Mr McGowan said: ‘It is highly important that Nautilus visits the superyacht shows at which officers and crew are most accessible.

Attendance also gives the Union the perfect opportunity to speak to important industry contacts that are all in the same place at the same time.’ g If you will be in Palma on 27, 28 or 29 April, and would like to meet with a representative from Nautilus, please email yachts@nautilusint.org.

Shake-up in Antibes

by Michael Howorth

largest yacht harbour in Europe A and a significant player in superyacht Antibe’s Port Vauban — the

berthing operations — is to undergo radical reform now that new management is in place.

Following a public service contract tender carried out last year, the city of Antibes has appointed a consortium known as Vauban 21 to undertake the management of both Port Vauban and Port Gallice for the next 25 and 15 years respectively.

With a projected investment of €135m planned over the next 15 years, the consortium’s stated aim is to restore Port Vauban to its former status of the Mediterranean’s yachting capital.

Its plans go far beyond the renovation of the marina, and will prioritise improved services, technology and general organisation.

A second stage will be the creation of a yachting campus in the area of St Roch, to offer the best training, seminars and conferences in the industry.

Nautilus International works closely with the MCA and regulatory authorities in Europe and around the world, and this SRB is recognised by the MCA as evidence of acceptable service.

INTERNATIONAL

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Once your yacht service is verified O iin our office in Antibes, the MCA aaccepts the Nautilus SRB as ssufficient proof of onboard and ssea service. No further supporting ddocumentation is required, and the pprocess with the MCA is quicker than uusing individual testimonials. zContact the membership ddepartment either via email or telephone to receive your free SRB.

120m ‘resort’ yacht, pictured above. Code-named F Amara, the new private yacht concept was unveiled at the The Dutch builder Oceanco has revealed plans for a

Dubai International Boat Show last month.

Developed in collaboration with Sam Sorgiovanni Designs, of Australia, the vessel is designed to provide ‘unparalleled living and entertainment facilities’ for up

to 20 guests, with a range of 6,000nm and a cruising speed of 20 knots. The yacht’s lower level deck will open up to reveal a beach club with three-way access to the sea — port starboard and aft — and the vessel will also have a 16-seat indoor cinema, an open air cinema, a gym, a climbing wall, and a waterfall from the upper deck that cascades down into the main deck swimming pool.

22/03/2017 12:49

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Firm fined for ‘reckless’ vessel move been fined more than £8,000 F after a ‘reckless’ decision to move a

A Cornish fishing company has

Above left: RFA Black Rover arrives in Portsmouth Harbour after being towed from Birkenhead by the tug MTS Vanquish last month. Right, Capt Jonathan Huxley speaks at the end of service commemoration for Gold Rover Pictures: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic; L Phot Barry Swainsbury

Tributes paid as Gold Rover bows out after 43 years end of service commemoration for the A Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Gold Rover at Warm tributes were paid during an

Portsmouth Naval Base last month.

Past and present crew members joined RFA and RN top brass to mark the end of a career that ranged from evacuation duties during the partition of Cyprus (1974) and Liberia (1996), flood relief operations in Jamaica (1986) and delivering humanitarian aid at Tristan da Cunha (2007).

As well as undertaking more than 8,250 replenishments at sea, Gold Rover was also involved in eight rescue missions and a £60m cocaine bust.

Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant, commander of naval operations, said the ship’s departure after 43 years of service marked the end of an era. ‘Gold Rover has proven herself a capable and versatile asset who will be sorely missed by the Royal Navy and the numerous people’s lives she positively affected,’ he added.

Maersk ship to trial wind propulsion technology to be used in an 18-month trial F of wind propulsion technology —

A 109,647dwt Maersk tanker is

with hopes that the system could cut fuel consumption by as much as 10%.

Tests of two rotor sails will begin early next year and run until the end of 2019 in a project that is majority funded by the UK Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), with contributions from Maersk Tankers and Norsepower. Shell Shipping & Maritime will act as project coordinator.

Two 30m Norsepower Rotor Sails will be retrofitted to the Maersk LR2 product tanker to ‘provide insights into fuel savings and operational experience’. The rotor sails are a modernised version of the Flettner

rotor — a spinning cylinder that harnesses wind power to propel a ship — and are expected to deliver average fuel savings of between 7% to 10%.

ETI programme manager Andrew Scott said rotor sails are particularly suitable for tankers and bulkers.

‘It is one of the few fuel-saving technologies that could offer doubledigit percentage improvements,’ he added.

Norsepower CEO Tuomas Riski said he is optimistic the trial will ‘open up the market for our technology to a larger number of long-range product tanker vessels — paving the way for ship fuel efficiencies, and ultimately reducing emissions’.

‘Throughout her time Gold Rover has been a force for good in the world,’ said Captain Jonathan Huxley, Gold Rover’s last ever commanding officer. ‘She has been a regular visitor to the South Atlantic and was always well loved by her crew and warmly welcomed by friends across the globe.’

‘The Rovers were built on sound, simple commercial design principles,’ added Captain Nick Pilling, Gold Rover’s last chief engineer.

‘Their reliability can be attributed to a strong

simple straightforward design of equipment and purpose, maintained by professional seagoing personnel, well supported by a focused RFA and commercial shore team with a wealth of operational experience at sea.’

Commodore Duncan Lamb, the head of the RFA, said the end of the Rover class marked a ‘significant period in the history of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’ and offered an opportunity to look to the future, with the forthcoming delivery of the first of the new Tide class ships.

new vessel without the appropriate load line certification.

Newlyn-based Rowse Fishing was ordered to pay a total of £8,170 after being prosecuted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) for towing the vessel from Polruan to Newlyn before it had been surveyed and without the appropriate load line certificate and load line markings on the hull.

Truro magistrates heard that the vessel had been shortened during the build process, without new stability calculations being undertaken, and the company had arranged the tow of the vessel before it had been surveyed and before an exemption certificate had been granted.

Local MCA operations manager Tony Heslop said the company had made a ‘somewhat reckless decision’ that could have had very serious consequences.

UK owners in call for ‘cultural shift’ Chamber president says shipping industry must ‘embrace its power’ to lead

P

Nautilus has backed a call from the president of the British shipowners’ organisation for a ‘cultural shift’ within the industry.

The call came from Shell Shipping & Maritime vice-president Dr Grahaeme Henderson as he was re-elected to serve a second spell leading the UK Chamber of Shipping at its annual general meeting last month.

Dr Henderson said it was ‘a very special honour’ to be reappointed as president of the trade body at a time of significant challenges and opportunities for British shipping.

He urged the industry to be

more proactive in raising its profile with politicians and the public. ‘For too long, the shipping industry has underestimated its ability and role to shape decisions,’ he argued. ‘The responsibility to influence our future lies not with government or the media; instead the responsibility to influence our future sits squarely with this industry, squarely with us. We must be more ambitious — embracing the opportunity to impact and create the future for shipping and the UK. ‘Almost as many people work in UK shipping as in car manufacturing, and we support more jobs than all of the British airlines put

together,’ Dr Henderson stressed.

‘Yet shipping has remained nervous about embracing its power to advocate, rarely willing to speak out on issues of national importance, and rarely developing new policy proposals that will both support and transform our industry for the better.

‘We should not wait and see what happens to us, but lead the thinking, lead the debate, lead the delivery — not just within the maritime family, but across the entire UK business community, with government and beyond,’ he added.

Dr Henderson said he wanted his second year as president to

‘mark the start of a cultural shift in the shipping industry. A shift that sees us more engaged — with the wider business community and government — driving change that will enable our future’.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘We congratulate Dr Henderson on his re-election and welcome the stability that it brings. It will allow the president to steer through his priorities — which include improved safety and the need for more job opportunities for British seafarers — and we share his ambition for the industry to seize the chance to get the support it so badly needs.’

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09_news.indd 9

22/03/2017 15:30

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NEWS

Mersey museum seeks Great Bitter Lake veterans is looking for seafarers who A served on ships stranded in the Suez

Merseyside Maritime Museum

Canal between June 1967 and June 1975.

The museum is staging a special 50th anniversary reunion on Thursday 1 June for any crew members who were on the four UK-flagged vessels which were among the 14 merchant ships trapped in the Great Bitter Lake from the start of the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt.

The ships were stuck for eight years, until Egypt reopened the waterway in 1975. Three were owned by Liverpool shipping lines — Melampus and Agapenor from Blue Funnel Line, and Scottish Star from Blue Star Line. The fourth British ship was Port Invercargill, owned by London-based Port Line.

Stena Line support for Mercy long-term partnership with the A Mercy Ships charity, which operates Stena Line has entered into a

the world’s largest hospital vessel.

As part of the agreement, Stena is working to set up a programme for sponsoring seafarers and staff who would like to volunteer for service with Mercy Ships.

Mercy Ships has been operating since 1978, and has delivered free healthcare services to more than 2.5m people across the world since then.

Its hospital ship Africa Mercy — presently working in Cotonou, Benin — is a former ferry that is now equipped with five operating theatres which can treat up to 7,000 people a year. The ship’s crew is made up of more than 400 volunteers, including seafarers, doctors, and nurses.

The partnership agreement will also see Stena promoting awareness of the charity and helping to raise funds for its work. g Nautilus supports member serving on Africa Mercy — see feature on page 24.

Though the original trapped crews were replaced after a couple of months, over the years around 3,000 seafarers served on the ships, helping to maintain them and their cargoes in the middle of a war zone.

Ben Whittaker, the museum’s curator of maritime history and technology, said the seafarers created their own ‘United Nations’ — sharing supplies and equipment, staging sports fixtures and social activities (like the one pictured right) and even producing their stamps.

‘We want former crew to get in touch and join us on 1 June to share their stories and reminisce,’ said Mr Whittaker.

‘Many remember their time in the Suez Canal as one of the most significant of their entire lives,’ he added. ‘Through the internet, many of them have now renewed contact

with each other, and interest in this unusual story has been revived.’

The search for seafarers who were on the ships was inspired by author Cath Senker, whose forthcoming book on the subject features material from the Blue Funnel Line Archive, which is held at the museum, as well as images of objects from the museum collections related to the Great Bitter Lake Association.

Visitors to the museum will be able to see some of these objects on display throughout June, and they will feature more prominently in its new Sea Galleries — due to open in 2018. g If you or a family member were on one of the Great Bitter Lake ships and want to be part of the reunion, call 0151 478 4401 or email ben.whittaker@liverpoolmuseums. org.uk.

Shipping facing ‘a perfect storm’ Industry models to be transformed by IT and e-commerce, meeting hears

P

The maritime industry is facing a ‘perfect storm’ in the next few years as technology drives radical change in shipping operations, a conference heard last month.

Former seafarer Frank Coles told the Transas Global conference in Malta that he can see ‘the possibility of a totally new model of shipping’ — in which the giants of e-commerce, such as Amazon and Alibaba, may seize control of supply chains by chartering vessels or leasing port capacity.

Amazon is already signing leases for aircraft, and beginning to compete with FedEx and UPS, he pointed out.

Walmart is looking to take control of its own shipping — even

on ships — and in recent weeks Alibaba has signed up with Maersk, CMA CGM and Zim Lines.

Mr Coles, who is now CEO of the maritime systems supplier Transas, said these developments will have dramatic effects on traditional shipping companies, and he predicted the emergence of radically different business and operating models in the industry.

‘The discussions about unmanned ships, smart operations and improved efficiency are really only code for the end of the current maritime model,’ he argued. ‘The efficiency of the maritime industry is the last piece to be addressed in the e-commerce model and the digitalisation of the shipping of goods.’

Mr Coles said the increased ‘digitalisation’ of supply chains will increase pressure for shipping to be even more efficient.

‘Smart ships, smart operations and even automated ships leads to a scaled operation requiring super-size ship management companies,’ he argued.

‘The large charterers leasing these ships will become increasingly reliant on these super-size management companies to operate the ships.

‘Ship traffic control and e-Navigation will become critical to ensure efficient and safe operations in the maritime segment of the shipping market,’ he added.

‘Whether there are manned ships, automated ships, smart ships and smart operations,

we are going to see increased digitalisation, better decision support, better monitoring and a scaling up of ship management operations.’

Mr Coles warned the conference that the industry also needs to consider ‘the human dimension’ as new shipping operations develop — and to assess the recruitment and training needs, both ashore and for those that work at sea.

‘Vessels, shore authorities, ports, regulators and training facilities worldwide must work together on technology and on developing the common operating platform that is needed to achieve the extraordinary gains in operating efficiencies that are available,’ he added.

South Tyneside wins top FE college award

Dcomplete service for mariners

been recognised as the best A further education college in the

Dqualified accountants always available Dcomputerised 100% claims and forecast projection DLimited Company Formation & Admin 26 High Street, Barry CF62 7EB, South Glamorgan, UK Tel. Barry (01446) 739953 MARINETAX@YAHOO.COM Established 1974

10-11_news.indd 10

charity is urging maritime F professionals to nominate colleagues A leading UK-based seafaring

MARINE TAX SERVICES (CARDIFF) LTD

Drun by certificated ex-officer

Society is seeking bravery winners

South Tyneside College has

UK — thanks in large part to the contribution of South Shields Marine School.

At the prestigious TES FE Awards 2017, the judges credited the marine school and its associated Marine and Offshore Safety Training Centre with being significant drivers of economic prosperity in NE England.

South Tyneside College as a whole was praised for its commitment to educational attainment, student career advancement and the forging of strong connections with business and the community.

The judges were unanimous in recognising it as overall FE provider

South Tyneside Dr Lindsey Whiterod and chair of governors Andrew Watts collect the FE provider of the year award from event host Rob Beckett, and David Russell, chief executive of the Education and Training Foundation

of the year, citing the breadth of skills on offer locally and nationally as ‘outstanding’ and also praising

the high success rate of its learners in finding employment.

Gary Hindmarch, the principal of

South Shields Marine School, said: ‘The marine school is renowned internationally, and plays a major part in the overall and ongoing success of South Tyneside College. It delivers a fantastic level of training to thousands of people from around the world every year and is a tremendous asset, not just to the northeast, but to the entire country.’

South Tyneside College chief executive Dr Lindsey Whiterod added: ‘We all work as part of a team, driven to attain the highest possible educational standards and the best outcomes for students. The TES judges said in their summing up that South Tyneside is an undercelebrated college — I’m delighted that our work has now been given the national recognition it deserves.’

who have demonstrated outstanding skill and bravery in rescuing those in peril at sea.

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society — which has provided financial support to merchant seafarers, fishing vessel crews and their dependants since 1839 — will hold its 166th Skill and Gallantry Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 3 October this year.

The four awards seek to recognise those who have shown exceptional courage in the face of adversity at sea in incidents which took place between 1 April 2016 and 31 March this year.

They include: z the Emile Robin Award, for an outstanding sea rescue by a British captain or chief officer of a vessel of any nationality, or the captain or chief officer (of any nationality) of a British owned or flagged merchant vessel z the Lady Swaythling Trophy, presented for an outstanding feat of seamanship z the Edward and Maisie Lewis Award, for an outstanding air/sea rescue or casevac z individual and crew/team commendations for outstanding actions that were instrumental in saving or safeguarding life at sea The charity’s chief executive, Malcolm Williams, said: ‘The awards raise awareness of the professionalism and selflessness seafarers and rescue crews demonstrate in keeping others, whether they be seafarers or members of the public, safe from the dangers of the sea. Ultimately, I hope these awards go some way towards acknowledging their tremendous efforts.’ g Nominations for this year’s awards are now open. You can submit them by contacting: Malcolm Williams, Chief Executive, Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, 1 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TL. Tel: 01243 789329 or email: general@shipwreckedmariners. org.uk. Deadline for nominations is 1200hrs on Friday 5 May.

22/03/2017 12:49

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

Pilot used iPad app to sail in thick fog using an iPad app to navigate in F dense fog in the River Humber when An off-duty marine pilot was

his vessel — the historic WW2 motor launch Peggotty — collided with a 32,289gt freight ferry last May, an accident investigation discovered.

But when the app stopped working after the iPad lost a reliable wi-fi connection, he became disorientated, completely lost his situational awareness and the vessel sailed into the main shipping lane, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report states.

Peggotty’s owner and skipper, David Carlin, was taking the vessel from Grimsby to Hull with a buyer’s representative onboard. Peggotty’s radar mast had been lowered to clear a bridge, which left the radar inoperable.

The MAIB said the iPad app had given both men ‘false confidence’ in their ability to navigate safely in the dense fog. ‘It is possible the skipper felt some pressure to complete the voyage and make the scheduled survey or risk losing the sale,’ the report adds.

Peggotty sank about 30 minutes after the collision with the DFDS ferry Petunia Seaways and the two men were rescued by a pilot boat.

The MAIB noted that Petunia Seaways had sounded one long blast on the fog horn after the master spotted an unidentified target on the radar, but the men on Peggotty had been unable to determine the direction it came from.

The report says Petunia Seaways was travelling at an unsafe speed of 14 knots and the action taken by the master was insufficient and too late to avoid the collision.

Investigators said Humber VTS had also missed opportunities to make effective use of the information available at the time and the fog should have prompted ‘a high level of attention’ by the VTS officer on duty at the time.

Agencies aid crew of ‘worst ever’ vessel Welfare bodies work together to help seafarers on Panama-flagged ship detained in Gibraltar

P

Crew members onboard a ship described as one of the worst ever found in the port of Gibraltar have been paid owed wages and repatriated following extensive cooperation between a wide range of agencies.

The Panama-flagged pushtug Dios, along with the barge Diosa, was detained after arriving in Gibraltar for provisions on 17 September 2016 following 56 days at sea.

A port state control inspection found a significant number of deficiencies that made the vessel unseaworthy.

The Syrian, Egyptian and Somali crew had sailed from Gabon, west Africa, and further checks revealed that they had not been paid for several months. One member of the crew was sick and had not been able to see a doctor.

The Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA) immediately informed the Gibraltar Seafarers’ Welfare Board (GSWB) and trained

ship welfare visitors attended the vessel to provide welfare support to the seafarers.

The regional International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) coordinator Jose Ortega inspected the vessel, along with a flag state inspector. The sensitive political situation surrounding nationalities, coupled with the war in Syria, compounded the crewing issues. However, the ITF worked hard to recover unpaid wages and helped repatriate the majority of the crew.

Only a skeleton crew of Syrian seafarers now remain onboard and they receive regular visits from GSWB member organisations — in particular, Apostleship of the Sea and Mission to Seafarers volunteers.

They are provided with free phone cards to contact their families, shopping essentials and allowed access to the ‘dropin’ seafarers centre in Gibdock, which has a free wi-fi service, pool

table, telephone, small library and a TV. ‘With many family members living in war-torn Syria, this continues to be an extremely stressful time for the crew’ said GSWB chairman and volunteer ship welfare visitor Captain James Ferro.

With the support of the Gibraltar Port Authority, the welfare board has provided a forum to encourage and promote interagency collaboration and ensured that stricken seafarers receive the support they need.

‘It is heartening to see the port community in Gibraltar working closely together in support of unfortunate seafarers stranded so far from their loved ones,’ said GPA CEO Bob Sanguinetti.

‘The Dios was one of the worst ships I have had the misfortune to inspect,’ said former GMA chief surveyor Rob Cumbes.

‘Substandard hardly describes the Dios and Diosa adequately.’

Port welfare manager Sarah Edward and Gibraltar Seafarers Welfare Board chairman Capt Jimmy Ferro with two Syrian seafarers from the Diosa

Seafarer charity to open up its archives Education Foundation (RMNEF) is making F its historic archives accessible with the help

The Berkshire-based Royal Merchant Navy

of a £2,500 gift from The Patron’s Fund — a grant-making body set up to support the work of charitable organisations of which The Queen acts as a patron.

The initiative will improve access to the Foundation’s historic collection of archives and

artefacts which is comprised of 190 volumes and 11 boxes — including manuscripts, books, papers and even navigational instruments — dating back to the first trustees’ minutes in 1827.

Started 190 years ago as the Merchant Seamen’s Orphans Asylum, administered by The Port of London Society & Bethel Union, the RMNEF continues to provide support to the disadvantaged children, in full-time education

or training, of current and former Merchant Navy seafarers, and fishing vessel and RNLI crews.

The Foundation offers assistance including contributions towards school fees, living expenses while in full-time education, educational books, visits or equipment, and school uniform costs.

RMNEF CEO Commander Charles HeronWatson said: ‘The Foundation has a strategic aim

of achieving 250 beneficiaries, which represents a threefold increase from our current number.

‘This donation from The Patron’s Fund, for which we are really grateful, will help towards the costs of publicising the Foundation’s activities — including digitising our archives which form part of the UK’s national maritime heritage.’ g More information can be found at: www. rmnef.org.uk

GET FUNDED TO LEARN We help seafarers get ahead ZLWK RXU scholarships and interest-free loans.

New guard against piracy new counter-piracy system F which went onto the market last

Pictured above is DFENCE — a

month following two years of research and development by the security firm Gray Page.

The ‘vessel perimeter protection system’ is designed to prevent unauthorised over-the-side access to ships, oil rigs and other marine platforms and installations.

Gray Page MD James Wilkes said the company had developed

10-11_news.indd 11

the system after looking at current methods for protecting ships against unlawful boarding — including razor wire — and deciding that ‘none was as practical in a sea-going environment as they needed to be’.

The system incorporates three outboard modules, each with a different profile, which makes climbing over it from below exceptionally difficult and deflects and destabilises ladders and other climbing apparatus.

— Interest-free loans for seafarers attending vocational courses or studying at professional advancement colleges.

— Scholarships for seafarers looking to prepare for a broader career in the maritime sector or advance their professional development. marine-society.org education@ms-sc.org 020 7654 7029 A charity registered in England and Wales 313013 and in Scotland SC037808

22/03/2017 12:49

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

HEALTH & SAFETY

Carnival opens new shore-based fleet operations centre in Seattle expanded its network of shoreF based support for its 102 ships with The Carnival Corporation has

the opening of a new fleet operations centre (FOC) in Seattle, right.

The company opened its first FOC in Hamburg in October last year, and it says it is now expanding to the United States after the successful pilot monitoring of its European cruiseship fleets. A third centre, in Miami, is set to open later this year — rolling the scheme out to all its US and Caribbean operations.

The FOCs use a cloud-based propriety tracking and data analysis platform — Neptune — that enables

real-time information sharing between ships and specialised onshore teams. Carnival says the centres not only help to improve safety, but also increase operational efficiencies and environmental initiatives.

The centres have the capability to see real-time radar visuals, stability conditions, automation, the safety management and command system, and webcams from each ship, along with GPS location, routeing, ship conditions and weather data.

They also monitor speeds, navigational data and engine conditions, along with fuel and

RIB safety call after accident RIB trips have been raised in a A report on a fatal accident involving Concerns over the safety of

passengers from the UK-flagged cruiseship Britannia in a Norwegian fjord in July 2015.

Three people — including the RIB skipper — were swept overboard when the stern of the craft hooked in waves created by a passing tender.

Two passengers were rescued, but the skipper — who was an offshore supply vessel master — died as a result of drowning.

The RIB had been running a series of trips for passengers from Britannia and Seabourn Quest, which were both in the port of Olden, and the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board report notes that the firm operating the charters — Briksdal Adventures — had never been inspected by the country’s maritime authority (NMA) since it was set up in 2008.

Investigators said checks carried out by the NMA on 17 companies

providing RIB trips had found that 10 operators failed to meet any of the regulatory requirements. Checks on Briksdal Adventures following the accident had revealed a number of deficiencies — including weaknesses in its safety management system.

The investigation found that passengers were not given a safety briefing before the trip and the RIB was not equipped with suitable handholds at all positions. The skipper was not wearing an immersion suit and had failed to use the kill cord correctly.

The report points out that there are no requirements for approval or inspection to be able to start up or run a RIB charter company in Norway and it calls for the NMA to intensify its work to improve the safety of such operations. It also notes that in response to the accident Carnival UK has decided to standardise the type of rescue net used throughout its fleet and to provide telescopic boat hooks to help position victims in the nets.

AB’s hand crushed in towline injuries to his left hand and A fingers during berthing operations in

A seafarer suffered severe crush

the Dutch port of Amsterdam last year.

The AB’s hand was trapped between a towline and the bitt at the aft mooring station onboard the

Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Vola 1, as the vessel was manoeuvring into Vlothaven. An investigation into the incident highlighted a lack of effective communications between the ship’s crew, the pilot and a tug which was assisting with operations.

energy usage, emissions levels, water and waste management.

Carnival’s chief maritime officer Vice Admiral Bill Burke claimed the system is the most sophisticated and capable in the industry and is ‘taking safety management to a completely new level’.

The shore-based analytics system will automatically generate alerts to help provide support in any emergency situations and Carnival says its ability to process and analyse ‘big data’ in real time will enable predictive analysis to be carried out, with the potential to further improve safety and operations.

‘Improved lights may cut fatigue’ Report calls for owners to improve the quality of illumination onboard ships

P

Better use of lighting systems onboard ships will help to combat fatigue and improve the health and safety of seafarers, a new report has concluded.

The study, published by the Swedish maritime organisation SSPA, urges the industry to consider improvements to artificial lighting systems and to control exposure to blue light, to prevent sleep patterns from being disrupted.

The report notes the evidence showing how seafarers often suffer from broken sleep as a result of their watchkeeping patterns.

‘Sleep is probably more important for our long-term well-being than we previously thought and research in this area is ongoing,’ it adds. ‘What is well documented is the importance of good sleep to be alert and perform the work safely.’

Researchers said that seafarers’ sleep quality and adaptation

Join us!

blamed the staff captain of F a cruiseship for an accident which

US accident investigators have

The Nautilus Pensions Association is a pressure group and support organisation that: z provides a new focal point for seafarer pensioners — increasing their influence within, and knowledge of, the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund and other schemes within the industry z serves as a channel for professional advice on all kinds of pensions, as well as offering specific information on legal and government developments on pensions, and supporting the Union in lobbying the government as required

should have full spectrum light sources.

It is ‘particularly appropriate’ for companies to consider areas in which seafarers are working for long periods — including machinery control rooms and galleys, the report argues.

Researchers said it is also especially important to get exposure to blue light at the right time, as this regulates the production of hormones throughout the day — including the stress hormone cortisol and the sleep hormone

Too-fast cruiseship caused $2m damage in US port

Worried about your retirement? z provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on other organisations providing support and assistance to pensioners z offers a range of specialised services and benefits tailored to meet the needs of retired members z operates as a democratic organisation, being a Nautilus Council body — with the secretary and secretariat provided by the Union

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12-13_h+s.indd 12

Study cautions on exposure to blue light Picture: Danny Cornelissen

to night working can be improved with a ‘suitable’ lighting environment on their ship and the report describes how ‘a good daily rhythm of light exposure’ can help crew members to get adequate rest.

The report urges owners to take relatively cheap and simple measures to improve light quality on their vessels — including adjustments to the strength and direction of artificial light sources in cabins and social areas, and to consider which areas onboard

melatonin — having a big impact of the state of alertness.

The report suggests that crew could ‘strategically’ use light management techniques to better adjust to night work and notes that going outside into daylight can be beneficial.

‘People exposed to night work must have the opportunity to see daylight or strong artificial light of at least 1,000 lux from the time they wake up until their night shift begins again,’ the study stresses. ‘Exposure to daylight is a key factor to adapt the biological clock to a schedule for good sleep that allows adequate alertness during shifts.’

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘Seafarers are human beings, and this valued research makes some important recommendations that owners would be wise to implement, to both reduce risk of a human factors incident and unnecessary litigation.’

caused more than $2m worth of damage in the port of Baltimore last year.

The Panama-flagged passenger vessel Carnival Pride struck a pier, fendering and an elevated passenger walkway while attempting to dock at the Maryland cruise terminal in May 2016.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation concluded that the 85,920gt ship was approaching the berth too fast and at too steep an angle while under

the con of the staff captain.

The ship’s voyage data recorder revealed that the pilot had advised the staff captain to slow down as the vessel neared the pier at a speed of 5.3 knots, with the bow about half a ship’s length from the dock.

The staff captain ‘lost valuable time’ as he made repeated unsuccessful attempts to transfer from the joystick to manual control at the bridge wing console before the master took the con and regained full control of the azipods and thrusters — too late to prevent the ship striking the pier and the walkway.

‘The staff captain allowed the

vessel to approach the pier too fast and at an angle too steep because he misjudged the power available in the joystick mode for correcting the manoeuvre,’ the report notes.

‘In the seconds it took him to assess that the joystick control would not be enough, in his opinion, to slow the ship, he lost valuable time in shifting to manual control.’

The NTSB said it was unable to determine why the officer had failed to transfer control from the joystick mode to the manual mode and it concluded that the ship’s master had failed to exercise sufficient oversight during the manoeuvre.

22/03/2017 14:41

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

Collision sparks anchorage alert Investigators warn over seamanship after accident outside Rotterdam

P

Dutch accident investigators have stressed the need for ships to exercise good seamanship while in anchorages, following a collision between two vessels outside the port of Rotterdam.

The Dutch-flagged general cargoship Arklow Rambler and the Hong Kong-registered tanker Atlantic Jupiter both suffered extensive damage in the incident, which occurred after their anchors dragged in adverse conditions in February 2016.

Investigators said the 2,999gt Arklow Rambler had anchored some 0.8nm away from Atlantic Jupiter when it had been forced to move within the anchorage area after being blown into a nearby shipping lane in the force 8 and near spring tide conditions.

The wind and the tide meant both ships were unable to maintain their position, and as the distance between the two reduced, the tanker’s master decided to raise the anchor and sail south of the anchorage until conditions improved.

But the Dutch Safety Board

The view from Arklow Rambler’s bridge seconds before the collision with Atlantic Jupiter Picture: Onderzoeksraad

investigation concluded that he had under-estimated the effects of the wind and current on his 36,677dwt ship after hoisting the anchor. Atlantic Jupiter was sitting high in the water with no cargo onboard, and it was blown towards Arklow Rambler before the crew had sufficient control of the vessel. The tanker almost collided with another ship a few minutes after striking Arklow Rambler, the report notes.

Investigators said Atlantic

Jupiter’s master was aware of the reducing distance between his vessel and Arklow Rambler, but had expected VTS to intervene.

However, the report points out, the anchorage is not an official VTS area.

‘Even if the anchorage area were to fall under the jurisdiction of Maas approach VTS, it is still the responsibility of the ships themselves to maintain an appropriate distance,’ it adds.

The safety board said com-

munications between the two vessels had been unclear, both before and after the accident.

Neither ship had used Standard Marine Communications Phrases and this meant that VTS were not aware of the collision until 36 minutes after it had occurred.

No one was injured in the accident, but both ships were badly damaged. The report expresses concern that Atlantic Jupiter ‘took a risk’ by remaining at sea in bad conditions for a further nineand-half hours with a 15m hole above the waterline.

The safety board highlighted the need for prudent precautions to be taken at anchorage.

‘Given the complex situation, it is not possible for everything to be regulated by rules, and good seamanship is required,’ the report states.

‘Factors such as the weather and the load of the ship have to be taken into account. Sufficient distance means that a ship is capable of anticipating unexpected situations and the movements of other ships.’

Predictive system to help manoeuvring has launched a new system A that aims to improve the safety of

The technology group Wärtsilä

vessel manoeuvring and berthing.

Developed by the company’s Dynamic Positioning unit, the SmartPredict system displays the vessel’s predicted future position and heading, and uses proven DP analysis algorithms to evaluate forces affecting the vessel, thereby providing advanced motion prediction.

The SmartPredict software module also features a configurable prediction time display and utilises all the parameters used for automated control by the DP, adjusting them for the motion characteristics of the specific vessel.

The system will also assess the manual commands from the coordinated control joystick, and environmental input from the onboard wind sensor(s).

These factors are all continuously evaluated to provide a constant updating of the ship’s path.

‘Allowing the operator to see into the future enables smarter and safer ship handling decisions to be made, thus lowering the risk of accidents occurring,’ said Wärtsilä Marine Solutions director Maik Stoevhase. ‘We see SmartPredict as being an important step towards more automated procedures, such as docking, and eventually fully autonomous vessel manoeuvring.’

Fully compatible with the ECDIS overlay function, SmartPredict will provide clear indications of potential dangers during ship manoeuvring, with an interface that enables officers to toggle on or off the ‘ghost ship’ indicators for predicted positions.

The display also allows the user to configure the time steps for the predictions.

Insurers concerned at New study crews’ dental health

Crew commended for shows big tackling fire in funnel wave risks praised the crew of a Royal F Caribbean Cruise Line vessel for their

standards may need to be F raised in response to new research

‘professional’ response to a fire while the ship was entering port with 1,428 seafarers and 4,454 passengers onboard.

The blaze broke out in the port side funnel casing of the 154,407gt Freedom of the Seas as the ship was approaching the port of Falmouth, Jamaica, under pilotage on 22 July 2015.

An investigation report published by the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) last month says the crew had responded to the incident in a very positive and capable way. ‘The fire was extinguished rapidly, despite the time required to systematically determine its location,’ it notes.

Crew members had made a correct decision not to use the carbon dioxide system to tackle the fire, the report says, and the passenger muster had been ‘timely’.

The BMA said the cause of the fire could not be determined as all the evidence had been destroyed in the blaze.

However, it notes, the blaze began while work was underway to fit a seawater exhaust gas scrubber. The funnel casing ‘contained a substantial volume of combustible materials’ —

showing that ‘freak’ waves are far more common than originally thought.

A study published by experts at the University of Miami and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute warns that ‘rogue’ waves can occur twice daily at any given location in a storm.

Researchers also analysed data about the steepest wave ever recorded — a 100m ‘wall of water’ that measured 21m from crest to trough that passed by the Ekofisk platforms in the North Sea in November 2007 — and concluded that it might have been even higher than the records indicated.

‘Our results, while representing the worst-case rogue wave forecast, are new knowledge, important for the design and safe operations for ships and platforms at sea,’ said Mark Donelan, from the University of Miami.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the new report built on other evidence about the scale and frequency of ‘freak’ waves and supported the case for improvements in vessel design and construction.

Ship design and construction

Accident investigators have

12-13_h+s.indd 13

The fire in the funnel casing onboard Freedom of the Seas took the crew just under an hour to extinguish

including a bottle of ethylene cleaner — which ‘provided adequate fuel for the fire’, the report points out.

Subsequent tests revealed that the scaffold boards were not fire retardant, the BMA said, although the riding gang had not carried out any hot work over the previous 24 hours in the area where the blaze broke out.

The report recommends that the conditions of hot work permits should be rigidly enforced and also expanded

to properly define a ‘confined space’ requiring additional precautions.

It also urges the company to review its emergency procedures to address the physical needs of passengers — including the availability of drinking water — during prolonged periods at muster points.

Investigators were told that none of the passengers had been offered food or water in the three hours they spent at the muster station.

worries over seafarers’ dental A health — and have urged owners to

Marine insurers have expressed

encourage their crews to take regular check-ups before they go to sea.

Sophia Bullard, crew health programme director at UK P&I Club, said dental problems can be a major cause of concern — causing claims related to urgent medical treatment and repatriation of crew.

‘Seafarers are frequently at sea for long periods of time and are therefore unable to attend regular dental checkups ashore,’ she pointed out. ‘This may lead to dental problems developing unchecked.

‘Long working hours and minimal

physical exercise can result in the excessive consumption of highly caffeinated and very sugary drinks, unhealthy snacking and high levels of nicotine inhalation,’ Ms Bullard added. ‘In these circumstances, if oral health is neglected, gum disease, tooth decay and toothache can readily occur.’

While seafarers will be able to get pain relief treatment onboard, this will not fix the underlying problem, she pointed out. ‘This can have a detrimental effect on the seafarers’ performance, concentration and wellbeing, not to mention a significant impact on sleep, eating and other daily activities.’

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22/03/2017 15:31

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports MAERSK MONITORS: the French Atlantic seaboard maritime authority has told Maersk Supply Service to set up a three-year programme to monitor the risk of pollution from two of its vessels which sank off Brittany in December last year. Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper sank some 60nm off the French coast while being towed by the Danish-flagged AHTS Maersk Battler to a scrapyard in Turkey. Although Maersk said that both ships had been emptied of fuel and lubricants, French authorities are concerned about the risk of pollution from hydrocarbon residues. The monitoring plan requires an analysis of the contents of the tanks on both vessels and checks of the state of the wrecks.

FINNISH PROTEST: seafaring unions in Finland have slammed a decision to use a mixed nationality crew onboard a Finnish Border Guard vessel during a six-month deployment to support EU patrols in the Mediterranean. The unions dispute claims there are not enough Finnish crew to operate the ship and argue that foreign seafarers should not be allowed to serve on a vessel with strategic functions.

CREW REPATRIATED: 23 Chinese seafarers stranded onboard a flag of convenience general cargoship detained in India for almost two months have been allowed to return home. The St Vincent & Grenadines-registered Union Demeter had been held in the port of Haldia because of bunkering debts. The ship’s crew were owed five months’ wages, amounting to US$218,000.

STENA DEAL: Sweden’s Stena Bulk is set to take full control of the joint venture it operates with Weco Shipping after an agreement to buy the Danish company’s 50% stake. Stena Weco operates a fleet of 65 ships, equally split between owned and chartered tonnage and involved in transporting chemical and edible oils, and clean petroleum products.

DRINK LAW: France is introducing new regulations to lower the alcohol limit for seafarers, aligning the rules with those for motorists and with the STCW Manila Amendments. The measures will apply to all Frenchflagged ships and will include foreign-flagged vessels operating in the country’s territorial waters.

ASBESTOS APPEAL: French seafaring unions are pressing for improved compensation arrangements for members suffering from asbestos-related illness. In 2015, 15% of occupational diseases among seafarers were linked to asbestos, compared with 7.7% across the entire workforce.

MSC BID: the Swiss-Italian shipping firm MSC is seeking to acquire a major stake in the Italian operator Gruppo Messina, which runs a fleet of specialist ro-ro containerships on routes linking the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa.

RUBBISH RULE: China is to abolish a regulation that requires ocean-going vessels to dispose of any sludge and garbage onboard before departure from the country’s ports.

US plans flag link for energy trade Congress told that proposed new law would revive national shipping fleet

P

US maritime unions are backing a proposed new regulation which would require that up to 30% of the country’s energy exports should be carried on US-flagged and UScrewed ships.

Some estimates suggest the measure could create more than 5,000 jobs for US seafarers, as well as helping to regenerate the country’s merchant fleet after decades of decline.

The politician who introduced the bill in Congress last month, John Garamendi, said his ‘Energizing American Maritime Act’ would also boost US shipbuilding and strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.

He said the US-flagged fleet had shrunk from 1,200 ships just after WW2 to fewer than 80 today.

In 1955 one-quarter of US exports were carried by US-flagged ships, compared with less than 1% today.

‘The state of the American maritime industry is in crisislevel decline,’ Mr Garamendi warned. ‘This isn’t just an economic concern — it’s also a national security risk. Requiring even a minority of strategic energy asset exports to be carried on US-flagged ships will compel us to rebuild the technical skill to man these vessels.’

Under the bipartisan bill, 15% of exported crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) would

have to be carried on US-flag vessels with effect from 2020. The requirement would increase to 30% in 2025. The proposed regulations would also require that energy exporters provide training opportunities for US seafarers.

It is forecast that the US will be the world’s third largest exporter of LNG by the end of this decade and that around 100 LNG tankers would be needed to handle the output. By 2025, the US could be exporting up to 3.64m barrels of crude every day, which could require up to 380 tankers and 15,200 mariners, Mr Garamendi claims.

However, there are presently

no US-registered LNG carriers, and with action by Congress he warned that almost all US energy exports will be transported on foreign ships ‘helping other nations grow their maritime industrial capabilities from the export of a strategic US energy resource’.

Captain Don Marcus, president of the Masters, Mates & Pilots union (MM&P), said the measures would ‘ensure that at least some of the jobs associated with the export of LNG will go to American maritime workers and help guarantee that we will have the civilian maritime manpower needed to support America’s national security requirements’.

Nordic alarm over ferry jobs threat unions fear that liberalisation F of flag rules in Norway could lead to a Swedish and Danish maritime

loss of well-paid jobs in their countries.

Norwegian unions have already warned that up to 700 Norwegian jobs could be lost if the ferry firm Color Line goes ahead with plans to switch ships sailing between Denmark and Norway from the mainland register to the international flag, NIS. Danish officers’ union SL and Sweden’s SEKO Sjöfolk think jobs outside Norway could be hit too. SL is concerned ferry companies such as DFDS and Fjordline could switch to NIS, while SL believes its members could also sail under NIS and that affected jobs would mostly be the lesser skilled ones.

SEKO leader Kenny Reinhold joined a day of protests outside the Norwegian parliament last month.

‘We’ve had Swedish owners who’ve wanted to introduce something like

this in ferry traffic, with low-paid staff in their catering and hotel business,’ he warned. ‘We have to fight that.’

Unlike Norway and Denmark, Sweden only has one ship register and if ships reflagged it could have a profound effect on Swedish jobs, SEKO fears.

The Norwegian government has tabled a bill to put a net salary scheme for seafarers into law. It will repay owners’ deductions for income tax and social security contributions, so long as they employ apprentices. The unions say it’s still not enough, as owners will still be able to hire foreign crews to operate in Norwegian waters on cheaper NIS contracts.

Officers’ union NSOF has called for the scheme to be widened to deepsea shipping, as well as seismic vessels.

The subsidy limit applying to the offshore segment should be removed to help it recover from the collapse in oil prices, says the union.

DFDS newbuild boost launched at the Flensburger A yard in Germany is Gardenia Pictured above being

Seaways — the first of two new 32,000gt freight ro-ro ferries being built for DFDS at the facility.

With the ability to carry up to 262 trailers and a load space of 4,076m, the two ships will increase the company’s North Sea capacity by some 20%.

Gardenia Seaways is due to enter into service on the Immingham-Rotterdam route in May and the second vessel is set to be delivered in September.

‘The volume on all routes within the DFDS network has grown noticeably, we are already using almost all the capacity available in our existing fleet,’ said DFDS shipping division vice-president Peder Gellert.

‘The two ships from the Flensburger yard will be joined in 2019 by another two ro-ro freight vessels — the largest freight vessels in the DFDS fleet so far,’ he added.

‘DFDS is also considering the future construction of new combined freight and passenger ships, and the replacement of passenger ships.’

Ukrainian wages row Workers’ Federation (ITF) F has condemned an offer by a small The International Transport

Senegal to equip a training A ship for students at the national A project is underway in

maritime school in Senegal, pictured above. The vessel Diender was donated in 2015 to the Ecole Nationale de Formation Maritime (ENFM) in Dakar by the Korea Maritime Institute and the

14-15_int.indd 14

Centre for Maritime Research and Cooperation Spain-Korea (CEIMARPE). With work on the conversion of the vessel now in its final phase, IMO maritime ambassador Captain Antonio Padrón and CEIMARPE director Dr Han Deuk Hoon visited students and trainers onboard last month.

coalition of Ukrainian trade unions to slash minimum wages for the country’s seafarers.

Describing itself as the Ukrainian National Platform of Maritime Trade Unions, the new group is touting for business by promising to undercut agreed and negotiated conditions.

It is publicly offering shipowners the chance to evade the agreed ITF monthly minimum wage for ABs of

US$1,806 and slashing it by US$801.

ITF seafarers’ section chair David Heindel commented: ‘There is no indication that any shipowner has fallen for this offer yet. They will be aware that a union proposing to reduce negotiated conditions for seafarers is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the ITF. Similarly, the ITF will consider any shipowner trying to take advantage of this dodgy deal as attempting to attack the hard-won and hard-earned rights of seafarers — and inviting the consequences.’

22/03/2017 17:59

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

First 20,000TEU+ ship the world’s first 20,000TEU-plus A containership — which was named at Pictured left is MOL Triumph —

the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in Korea last month.

The 199,000gt vessel is the first of four ultra-large containerships being built for the Japanese owner MOL. Flagged in the Marshall Islands, MOL Triumph will be deployed on the company’s services between Asia and Europe.

The ship is 400m long and has a number of energy-saving features, including a specially-designed highefficiency propeller, rudder valve and stator which, together, are claimed to halve the amount of CO2 emissions per container moved.

SHI expects to deliver 10 containerships over 20,000TEU capacity this year, with six 21,100TEU vessels on order for OOCL of Hong Kong.

NZ skills shortage victory for union Guild says immigration move should boost employment for local seafarers

P

New Zealand’s Merchant Service Guild (MSG) has welcomed a decision by the country’s immigration authorities to remove the occupations of ‘ship’s officer’ and ‘ship’s master’ from the national long-term skills shortage list.

The union says the move should pave the way for increased employment and training of New Zealand seafarers and it is working with owners and colleges in an effort to rebuild cadet courses in the country.

‘This decision should mean that the current practice of denying qualified New Zealand

ship officers the jobs in their own waters will be ended,’ said Guild president Russell Petrie. ‘This is a win for members of the Guild who have been running a campaign since 2010. We are delighted that our campaign has been a success.’

Captain Petrie said the process of changing the skills shortage list had been ‘unreasonably slow’ and the Guild had to spend a long time producing evidence about the state of the local labour market, detailing current unsustainable employment practices, and the failure of the skills shortage list to incentivise training and local recruitment.

Calling for the review system to be overhauled, he said it had ‘unnecessarily prolonged the hardship experienced by our unemployed members’.

The Guild is now putting together a work programme to fit with the new policy settings. This will include talks with employers on shifting to a model of career progression and succession as a way of managing the workforce, as well as discussions with ship owners to alleviate concerns about mobility within the industry, which is often incorrectly cited as a barrier to local recruitment.

‘More than anything else this decision has given hope that there can be a bright future for New Zealand shipping, but Guild members and officials are now straight back to work in pursuit of a vibrant, well-regulated, and well-protected local industry,’ Capt Petrie added.

‘We will continue to push for a rejuvenated domestic coastal fleet and to support the greater maritime cluster. We need to ensure that the shortcomings in our freight network, which has been brutally exposed in the aftermath of the Kaikoura earthquakes, are not repeated.’

ITF wins unpaid wages for abandoned seafarers who were abandoned with no A pay and no food in Algeria in July last

Crew members on a bulk carrier

year have returned home after the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) managed to secure a total of US$151,823 in unpaid wages.

The 17 Indian and Turkish seafarers were serving on the Panama-flagged vessel Sea Honest. ITF inspector Mohamed Arrachedi commented: ‘Their patience and resolution has paid off, and we all appreciate the help given to them by Algerian trade unions, the Algiers port authority and the embassies of India and Turkey.’

‘Fair pay’ ruling in Australia authorities to take note of a A case in which Australia’s Fair Work Nautilus has urged the UK

Ombudsman recovered A$100,649 (€72,183) for 10 Filipino seafarers who were underpaid while working in the country’s waters.

The Ombudsman said the underpayments had taken place onboard an unnamed foreign-flagged ship which had been operating in the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between January and June 2016, sailing between ports in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

14-15_int.indd 15

It said the crew members had been paid base salaries in accordance with international minimum rates and during the voyages. The lowest-ranked crew members received as little as A$5 (€3.59) an hour.

However, it ruled, as the crew members were serving within Australian waters they should have been paid in line with Australian rates — which meant the lowest-ranked should have received at least A$17.29 (€12.40) an hour.

The Ombudsman investigated the crew’s wages after receiving a

complaint about the ship. The highest amount recovered for an individual crew member was A$16,677 (€11,965).

The ship’s operator — described as an international company with headquarters outside Australia — claimed that it was unaware of its obligations under Australian workplace laws because it had never operated voyages within the country’s EEZ before.

It cooperated with inspectors and rectified the underpayments voluntarily, but it was issued with a formal letter of caution warning

that future breaches of Australian workplace laws may trigger enforcement action, including litigation.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘The UK would do well to take note of such action. An increasing number of countries are acting to prevent abuses in their waters and to combat the damage caused by unfair competition from low-cost crewing policies. It’s time the UK joined them, addressed the problems around our coast and promoted employment for UK seafarers.’

shortreports AID ALARM: French unions have expressed alarm about a European court decision ordering France to recover €220m in ‘state subsidies’ given to the ailing Marseilles-based ferry operator SNCM when it was privatised in the mid-1990s. The General Court upheld a European Commission decision of May 2013 that compensation paid to SNCM and to CMN (Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation) for ferry services between Marseille and Corsica from 2007 to 2013 was incompatible state aid and must be repaid.

OFFICER EXTRADITED: an officer serving on a ship involved in a fatal collision with a fishing vessel off the French coast in 2007 has been extradited from Georgia after being held under an international arrest warrant. Aziz Mirzoyev, originally from Azerbaijan, was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene and failing to aid a person in danger after the general cargoship Ocean Jasper collided with the trawler Sokalique.

FEWER FILIPINOS: authorities in the Philippines have reported a 25% decline in the number of Filipino seafarers being deployed in the global shipping industry last year. Figures released by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency last month show that the number of Filipino seafarers working in the international fleet dropped from 406,531 in 2015 to 304,329 last year.

BRITTANY BOOST: the French operator Brittany Ferries has reported ‘strong’ passenger and freight figures for 2016. Passenger numbers were up 3% and freight volumes rose by 6.7%, with turnover increasing by 5.2% to €454.9m. The company said its continued confidence is demonstrated by plans to build its first LNGpowered ferry.

ELBE HOLD-UP: plans to deepen the River Elbe to accommodate ultra-large containerships may be delayed for up to two years following a court ruling in Germany. The federal administrative court approved controversial plans to dredge the busy waterway, on condition that a number of environmental safeguards are met.

FLAG MOVE: the Pacific island of Palau has switched its ship registry’s head office from the United States to the Greek port city of Piraeus as part of an expansion plan. The Palau International Ship Registry was launched in 2010 and now claims to have several hundred vessels on its books.

DELIVERY DELAY: French containership firm CMA CGM has decided to delay the delivery of three new vessels after announcing a $452m loss for 2016. The company said it was encouraged by the recent increase in freight rates and reported that it had made a $45m profit in the fourth quarter.

CRUISESHIP HELD: the US Coast Guard detained Royal Caribbean’s Bahamas-flagged cruiseship Majesty of the Seas in the port of Canaveral after an inspection revealed deficiencies in life-saving equipment.

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22/03/2017 17:59

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

YOUR LETTERS

What’s on onyour yourmind? mind?

Tell your colleagues shipping.

Keep yourTelegraph letter to ahave your name, address colleaguesin inNautilus NautilusInternational International— —and andthe thewider world of but you must let the maximum words if you canyour — though contributions will beand considered.

Use number. a pen name or wider world300 of shipping.

Keep letter tolonger a maximum membership just membership number you don’t want to be identifi in anyour accompanying — Telegraph, Nautilus 300your words if you can — thoughif longer contributions will ed — say soSend letter to thenote Editor, but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. Send yourShrubberies, letter to the George Lane, be considered.

International, 1&2 The Editor, International, 1&2number The Shrubberies, George Lane,Woodford, South Woodford, Use aTelegraph, pen nameNautilus or just your membership if you South London E18 1BD, or use head office fax London E18to 1BD, use head ceso faxin+44 (0)20 8530 1015, or— email+44 telegraph@nautilusint.org don’t want beor identifi ed —offi say an accompanying note (0)20 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusint.org

Where’s my Telegraph?

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you. To let us know your new address, go to www.nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or membership@nautilusint.org

shortsea Robert Meredith Use shipping to our goods Jones: a life at sea get off the roads

P

Dutch homes for RFA Gold Rover lifeboats A

In response to your front page item about the retirement of the RFA Gold Rover, I am pleased to tell you that both of her original lifeboats are still in existence. One of them I have in possession myself, together with a friend of mine, and I know from an acquaintance that the other one is also sailing around in Noord Holland.

We came into possession of the old lady a few years ago, and two years ago we gave her a thorough

new paint job. We are sometimes approached by people who have known the Gold Rover, asking how she ended up in Noord Holland.

The biggest coincidence was on our ‘maiden voyage’ to our current home port Schagen (Netherlands): when the volunteer harbour master showed up, he appeared to be a retired British naval officer, and knew the Gold Rover very well. A small world indeed.

Captain KW VAN DER WOUDE

Friends and colleagues have been saddened to learn that Nautilus member Bob Jones died last month at the age of 59, after a year-long battle with cancer.

Most recently employed as chief officer on the Falklands fishery protection vessel Protegat, he had enjoyed a long and unusually varied career, working on over 100 different vessels in his 42 years at sea.

‘Bob always wanted to travel the world,’ said his wife Jan. ‘He tried pretty much everything, but preferred ships like coasters and tugs that were going to different places rather than sticking to the same route like ferries. He often said that he loved his job and was lucky to be doing it.’

The seafarer’s career had a faltering start in the early 1970s, when at the age of 16 he struggled with his cadetship onboard Shell tankers and decided not to complete the training. However, he did not give up on the idea of

A

This month’s poll asks: Do you think the shipping industry should make more use of wind propulsion technology? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

16-17_lets_SR edit.indd 16

The 300 commercial ports in the

Bob Jones (right of picture) on the fishery protection vessel Sigma in 2000

working at sea, and after a break of 18 months he returned to Shell as a G1 rating onboard the lightener Naticina.

He then gradually rose through the ranks on various cargoships and offshore support vessels over the next few decades, paying his own way for college study. He gained his Officer of the Watch certificate in 1987 and qualified as a chief officer in the 1990s. In recent years, his reputation as a reliable contract

When is a pilot under-qualified?

None of my deepsea colleagues replied to my letter in a previous edition.

Vacancies have occurred for deepsea pilots over the last nine months, and again this month.

I understand that it is the pilots themselves who demand that three years’ experience as master is required prior to consideration, and Trinity House is guided by this opinion.

Surely 14 years as a pilot with 10 of

Last month we asked: Do you think shipping could learn more about safety from the aviation industry?

No 26%

UK could be used to provide a A sustainable and fair transport system

worker had led employers to seek him out for particular jobs.

The camaraderie of the maritime lifestyle very much suited Bob, says Jan: ‘Everyone who knew him will remember him for liking a pint with his friends.’ He was also a proud Welshman and keen football supporter who had played for Wrexham juniors when he was at school. He is survived by Jan and his three children from his first marriage.

Falklands Why aren’t port pilots memories accepted for deepsea? kept alive F

Have your say online

Yes 74%

Follow us on Twitter

As a chairman of the Hull task force Falklands 82, I was honoured and privileged to meet and talk to HRH the Prince of Wales at Holy Trinity Church on 8 February. He was very interested in the story of the Hull task force of nine Hull-registered vessels requisitioned by the MoD. HRH was pleased to receive a copy of All in the Same Boat, the story of the requisitioned ferry Norland by Warren FitzGerald. He thanked me for my keeping the memory of the Hull task force alive and of those who lost their lives in the name of freedom.

On 13 May, Holy Trinity Church will be renamed Hull Minster, and on 28 May we will be having a service there at 2pm followed by a parade and wreath-laying. It will be dedicated to the Merchant Navy task force and the Falklands veterans we supported.

KEITH THOMPSON mem no 166898 Falklands veteran 1982 Aden veteran 1967

these as 1st class — in a major Channel port, which includes examination of masters for their PEC certification — would more than qualify a person for consideration? But no, somehow the skills are not transferable, and the ardours of being on a vessel for 10 days would be too great.

Isn’t it time this outmoded rule was changed and consideration be given to us lowly port pilots, who do the fiddly bit on the end of a voyage? mem no 156514

with low pollution and energy usage.

The large subsidy paid to road transport could be reduced, it would boost the use of marine transport and the employment of seafarers.

Carbon emissions would be reduced by 80% and, similar to Germany which transports 64% by marine transport, fair and efficient transport could be achieved.

England could be made great again by using the 300 commercial ports and waterways that carried in the past 30 million tons of goods.

JOHN GALLAGHER mem no 194448

Immingham led the way in ‘relaxation therapy’ regarding the new simulator A training centre in Immingham is indeed Your article in February Telegraph

good news. It should ensure that future seafarers are fully trained in all aspects of bridge procedures.

Many, many years ago I traded into Immingham on ore carriers and within the docks area there was a building — a public house — that was used by caring people concerned about overworked seamen. A relaxation therapy treatment was available to ensure that on the return to sea they were suitably relaxed and able to overcome the perils of the sea.

P. BENNISON mem no 061154

Work together to beat bribery the article ‘Bribery law no F help to masters’ (March Telegraph) The opinions put forward in

are extremely outdated and whilst an element of lamp swinging adds entertainment value to an otherwise dry subject, some research would make for a better informed update.

I am not so naïve as to think that there won’t always be port officials who will try to use their position to obtain gifts and money, or that all ship owners and charterers will suddenly stop paying bribes rather than taking the hard way out of a situation, but a weary acceptance of this as the norm is a view that has to be consigned to the past and to stories in the pub.

The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) was formed in 2011 to promote good practice in the maritime industry and tackle corruption at local and government

level, from facilitation demands for cartons of cigarettes and ships’ stores to systemic bribery and extortion. The network boasts some of the world’s largest ship owners, managers, charterers and agents amongst its members and associates. Clearly facilitation and bribery will not be wiped out from shipping overnight, but the individual and collective actions of the MACN and its members is yielding results.

For a number of companies, my own included, facilitation demands in the Suez Canal have been flatly refused since 2015. Not for nothing is it known by seafarers as The Marlboro Highway, but our crews have managed to resist all demands and have not suffered. Buoyed by the success of our initial trials, we rolled out a global zero-tolerance policy in 2016 and provided our masters with

the training, tools and support to enable them to reject demands for bribery and facilitation wherever it occurs. If all else fails they phone me, day or night, and I take on all further discussions, escalating it locally where necessary, and relieve the master of the stress and responsibility.

Perhaps ‘well-meaning’ legislation was not the perfect answer, but an industry which is struggling to literally stay afloat shouldn’t be paying millions every year in bribes and facilitation. Collective action by responsible ship owners and operators works and the more who support it, the sooner we will rid our industry of the burden which corruption places upon it. I know who I think needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

KEVIN LEACH-SMITH mem no 175156 g See feature, page 27.

22/03/2017 14:38

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS

We should learn from aviation’s checklists and use of simulators

THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

www.thefreakywave.com

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A

What can aviation teach shipping?

(Telegraph, March 2017). I have always thought that the maritime industry could learn from aviation. I had a number of friends who were fliers, commercial and recreational, and I flew with some and observed their checklists.

I liked the checklist idea and on my second trip as in command in 1972, I introduced a port arrival and departure checklist. It was a read-out list, not a tick box, and no record was kept except a note in the ‘bell book’. I asked the OOW the questions, eg: ‘ER given the hour’s notice? Pilot station contacted? Pilot ladders ready? Flags up?’ An aidememoire. I continued to use this method for some years.

A more important factor was the use of simulators for assessment, when

telegraph

website: www.redactive.co.uk

hiring someone and for promotion to master or chief engineer. In 1990 I ran a series of seminars at Warsash College. The president of the company attended every one and I approached him regarding assessment. I pointed out that you cannot captain a commercial aircraft without simulator assessment.

In most developed countries you cannot drive a car without being assessed. You could be promoted to command of a ship, a demanding position, without being assessed. After a visit to the simulator and a discussion with the

operator I had convinced him that it was a feasible task. The result was that after completing the seminars I was sent to the office as training and recruitment manager and tasked with starting an assessment programme.

The engineering manager supported me in this, and we visited the RN, RAF and airlines. We found their systems too complex for our needs and produced a simple three-page system.

Warsash agreed to lend us their simulators for assessment. I did the marine assessment and a senior chief

engineer the engine assessment. The course took five days, with four days of familarisation exercises and the assessment on the fifth day. Initially I observed from the control room, but I found this unsatisfactory so I decided to act as helmsman: I could blend in and got a real feel of the exercise.

People failed! The most common failure was a lack of communication.

Changing the passage plan, not advising the bridge team of the destination point, slowing down, which altered the ETA to enter a traffic lane but

not advising VTS. I conducted a debrief, and when the candidate was asked why he had not communicated with his team, the answer I got was: ‘I am the captain. I can adjust things when I feel it is necessary!’

My answer was: ‘You are the leader of a team. You made a plan which was agreed. If you make changes you are duty bound to promulgate any changes to your team.’

Captain KEITH J. BEVERLEY Beverley Marine Services mem no 308932

Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus International cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575

Performance table won’t effect change P

I write with reference to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) flag state performance table 2016/17, which was issued recently.

I am rather puzzled by the purpose of this list. The ICS states that it is to encourage shipowners to provide decent working and living conditions on the registered ships and yet it has no criteria for compliance with UNCLOS which specifies this in Article 94.

It also specifies that the company and flag state should have a genuine link. If these criteria had been included, then

most of the states would have a red square in this section. The compliance with the Vienna convention is not mentioned either — probably for good reason.

The ratification of conventions is as meaningless as the intentions of the flag states to comply with them.

A benchmark of attendance at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is surely rather hilarious. It would seem that a more beneficial one of compliance with the IMO conventions would have more relevance. Indeed, it may be better if many of these flag states

avoided attendance and then so many good legislative proposals would not be blocked.

The Chamber also claims that this document is to encourage shipowners to put pressure on their flag administrations to effect any improvements that may be necessary, especially in relation to safety of life at sea.

The fact that we still have safety equipment so out of date and not fit for purpose, and seafarers dying in enclosed spaces without any legislation shows that the shipowners are well versed in putting such pressure on.

Unfortunately, the pressure is in

the wrong direction.

It is regrettable that the ICS has not made more use of its facilities to make a serious attempt to deal with the flagrant abuse of the flag state system by many countries that now sell their registrations like postage stamps with no intention or ability to comply with their responsibilities. A document such as this does nothing to produce the changes required and ensures that the industry can continue feeling satisfied that all is well. Except for those at sea, of course.

Captain MICHAEL LLOYD mem no 103126

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Clarification: funding of Martha study the Martha fatigue study in F last month’s Telegraph, we have Following the coverage of

been asked to clarify the funding model for the $3m project. The TK Foundation provided $1.5m and the rest of the funding was contributed as ‘payment in kind’ through the work of participating universities in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and China.

Why ‘South Tyneside’?

LNG Emergency Release Systems Recommendations, Guidelines and Best Practices First Edition

SIGTTO's LNG Emergency Release Systems is a comprehensive guide for operators and maintainers of LNG Emergency Release Systems (ERS) to ensure the safety of life, protection of the environment and protection of property during operations.

N OW AVA I LA B L E – £1 2 5

16-17_lets_SR edit.indd 17

info@witherbys.com

witherbys.com

+44 (0)1506 463 227

4 Dunlop Square, Livingston EH54 8SB, Scotland, UK

at a remark on page 24 of the F February Telegraph, where somebody I am writing this email to protest

from the MCA is supposedly helping the industry through the mess that is Brexit. Is this the Union’s position or the individual author Steven Kennedy, and can you tell me what is this mess that is Brexit? I would think if you removed your rose-tinted Euro glasses and looked across the Channel you would see the EU is in a big mess itself without any help from us.

Also, could I point out on page 26 that Mortimer School is actually in South Shields and that South Tyneside is a Metropolitan Borough.

I have never heard of Glasgow being called Strathclyde, and the famous college mentioned is actually called South Shields Marine College.

I know this as I live in the town itself.

Ian Walker mem no 185806

Gary Hindmarch, principal of South Shields Marine School, comments: South Tyneside College is our formal corporate name, and this was created in 1986, when Hebburn Technical College and South Shields Marine and Technical College were merged

by South Tyneside Council. We are currently using the brand name of South Shields Marine School within the South Tyneside College group name, as this refers to our historic original name created way back in 1861.

The South Tyneside College name will disappear when we complete our planned merger with Tyne Metropolitan College in August 2017 and the new corporate name has yet to be decided. The brand name of South Shields Marine School will continue to be used under the new corporate group name, and is one we know our alumni are happy to be associated with.

Published by Nautilus International Printed by Wyndeham Peterborough.

GENERAL SECRETARY Mark Dickinson MSc (Econ) HEAD OFFICE 1&2 The Shrubberies George Lane, South Woodford London E18 1BD tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 www.nautilusint.org NETHERLANDS OFFICE Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Postbus 8575, 3009 AN Rotterdam tel: +31 (0)10 4771188 fax: +31 (0)10 4773846 NORTHERN OFFICE Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 SWITZERLAND OFFICE Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 DEPARTMENT EMAILS general: enquiries@nautilusint.org membership: membership@nautilusint.org legal: legal@nautilusint.org telegraph: telegraph@nautilusint.org industrial: industrial@nautilusint.org youth: ymp@nautilusint.org welfare: welfare@nautilusint.org professional and technical: protech@nautilusint.org Nautilus International also administers the Nautilus Welfare Fund and the J W Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

22/03/2017 14:39

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NAUTILUS CAMPAIGNS

Charter for Jobs highlights UK’s misuse of CECs As Nautilus launches a new campaign over UK Certificates of Equivalent Competency, this month’s look at the Union’s Charter for Jobs examines the issues in depth…

P

Point 7 of the Nautilus Charter for Jobs states: ‘Improve the system for issuing foreign seafarers with Certificates of Equivalent Competency to deliver more opportunities for British seafarers on UK ships.’

The system for issuing UK Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CECs) to nondomiciled officers has long been a bone of contention for Nautilus. The Union argues that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), in handing out many thousands of CECs, has created a pool of cheap labour which undermines employment opportunities for British officers.

A large part of the campaign for Britain to leave the EU centred on promises to restrict immigration, take back control and to give preference to home-grown workers for jobs.

Whilst Nautilus supported the argument to remain, in the interests of the industry, the referendum result should be respected. The Union sees no reason why the shipping industry should be exempted

from any efforts to ensure that UK citizens no longer lose out from free and unfettered trade within the European single market.

The drive for more homegrown jobs must therefore include a preference for more domiciled seafarers on UK-registered ships. Leaving the EU should not be an excuse for British shipping companies to start looking outside the EU for replacements for their current UK/EU/EEA workforce.

Any such move would have the effect of driving down wages and undermining the job security of the current workforce. Therefore, the government must task the MCA with improving the CEC system.

Ministers should use the abandoned review from 2007 as the starting point for this new review, noting that preliminary agreement had been reached on restricting the numbers of CECs in circulation.

In 2015 there were 11,230 non-UK nationals with valid CECs. In that same year and the next, around 2,000 UK

seafarer jobs were lost due to the downturn in the oil price. These seafarers have struggled to find work due, in part, to the amount of competition from lower-cost EU and third country seafarers — including many working on UK-flagged vessels in British waters.

There are a number of issues surrounding CECs which this review should also investigate.

They include: z the numbers of CECs in circulation, especially at a time where there is no shortage of UK officers z the period of time a CEC is valid for z certificates being granted to seafarers rather than via a sponsoring company, which creates a pool of non-UK seafarers competing against unemployed UK seafarers for jobs z the examination process for foreign seafarers — which should meet the same high standards as the examinations for Certificates of Competency in the UK z the current standards of

the English language and legal knowledge tests — a single oral examination conducted by a marine surveyor would give the assurance of both proficiencies in the English language proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of maritime expertise and UK law in the appropriate areas consistent with rank z the current review of MCA fees which proposes to increase the costs of CoCs and reduce the costs of CECs Alongside this, the government should ensure that the work permit and seafarer visa requirements contribute positively to the employment of UK-resident seafarers. All these permits should be supported by legislative enforcement.

Brexit is an opportunity for the UK government to introduce the principles in the proposed EU Manning Directive of host country conditions applying to all seafarers, and to address safety concerns raised by the employment of multinational crews on UK ferry and cabotage routes, including the North Sea and domestic shipping.

BUILD YOUR CAREER WITH A SLATER SCHOLARSHIP The Slater Scholarship offers a bursary of up to £17,500 for Merchant Navy ratings, electrotechnical officers and yacht crew to study for the STCW officer of the watch qualification (either deck or engineer).

Apply now! marine-society.org/slater slater@ms-sc.org Administered by the

‘Balmoral inspired me to become a seafarer’ A

A Nautilus Telegraph reader has provided a fascinating insight into the work of the historic vessel Balmoral during her early years as a Red Funnel passenger and car ferry on the Southampton to Cowes route.

Retired Royal Navy seafarer Keir MacNally was responding to an appeal in the February 2017 Telegraph for memories of the Bristol-based ship, which may not sail again this summer unless around £75,000 can be raised.

Keir, a former Lieutenant Commander, recalled how as a fiveyear-old he told his godfather, Captain Tommy Larkin, that he wanted to wear a white hat and captain an ocean liner.

So Tommy, who was Balmoral’s master between 1952 and his retirement in 1961, picked the lad up in his Morris Minor and took him to the ship for the Saturday afternoon sailing to Cowes.

It was to become a weekly outing.

‘At first, I was plonked on the captain’s seat on the bridge and told not to move

while we left Southampton’s Royal Pier — but as time passed, I was adopted by the officers and crew and taught to steer by compass, handle and splice ropes and allowed to polish the brass telegraphs and make tea,’ said Keir.

‘During the 10 years I sailed with the Balmoral, she regularly operated between Southampton and Cowes carrying about 12 vehicles on deck, but loading and unloading was not for the faint-hearted driver or crew member.

‘Over the summer months there were day excursions from Southampton and around the Isle of Wight,’ he added, ‘and in good weather it was a great experience, with memorable views of St Catherine’s Point, Tennyson Downs and the Needles.

‘But in bad weather the transit south of the Isle of Wight could be very uncomfortable, and it was not unusual to have to use the fire hoses to clean the ship afterwards.

‘My experiences aboard the Balmoral helped develop my skills and love of the sea and led to a career initially in the Merchant and later in the Royal Navy,’ Keir said.

g If you would like to contribute to the Balmoral repair fund, visit: www.mvbalmoral.org.uk

18_cec_SR edit.indd 18

22/03/2017 14:40

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

MEMBERS AT WORK

Migrant SAR operations in January and February 2017 involving the ROV support vessel Deep Vision All pictures: DeepOcean

Those in peril on the sea Nautilus member Captain JAMIE WILSON and the crew of his ship have been praised for their professionalism and bravery in helping to rescue more than 900 refugees off the coast of Libya in the space of just five days. In this special report, he describes how his vessel responded to the challenge and offers some advice arising from his experiences…

U

Between 28 January and 1 February 2017, our vessel Deep Vision participated in the rescue of 907 migrants offshore Libya. There were nine search and rescue events during this time, with six events on 1 February alone. The vessel was not engaged in humanitarian work and was undertaking a commercial charter at the time.

During the weekend of 28-29 January, Deep Vision helped to rescue of 257 migrants from two migrant boats in distress off the coast of Libya. On 28 January (SAR 1), our vessel received a distress message relay from MRCC Rome and was instructed to proceed with all available speed to assist.

We arrived to find a migrant boat with 132 people onboard (23 women, including two who were pregnant, 25 children and 84 men). We launched our rescue boat and distributed lifejackets to those on the migrant raft.

The French naval vessel Commandant Bouan arrived on location and also launched rescue craft.

The migrants were then safely transferred using Deep Vision’s rescue boat and the Bouan’s rescue boat to the naval vessel, which took the migrants to Italy.

For SAR 2 on the next day, 29 January, a migrant boat was spotted on radar heading towards Deep Vision. MRCC Rome was informed and we were instructed to assist. MRCC Rome informed me that SOS Mediterranée’s humanitarian vessel Aquarius, working in the area, would be on location in three hours.

We launched our rescue boat, which distributed water, food and lifejackets to the 125 migrants onboard the raft. We then provided a lee for the migrant boat and, assisted by the Aquarius rescue boat, transferred migrants to the SOS Mediterranée vessel, which would carry them to Italy.

In the early hours of 31 January (SAR 3), a migrant raft was spotted close to our location. MRCC Rome informed us about this and we were instructed to assist. We provided a lee for the migrant craft and made contact to ensure nobody was injured or sick.

An Italian coastguard vessel arrived on scene and the migrants were picked up and taken onboard it.

SAR 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 all took place on 1 February.

Multiple migrant contacts (six) were sighted in the area around our location. An Italian coastguard vessel and Deep Vision intercepted the migrant crafts, and at each vessel we provided a lee for the craft and provided assistance until the coastguard

19_refugees_SR edit.indd Sec1:19

vessel was on location. There were 650 migrants recovered to the Coastguard vessel between 0700hrs and 1200hrs on 1 February alone.

As you can see, there were many SAR events, and this was unprecedented for Deepocean, for myself and for the crew of the Deep Vision. We were briefed and prepared for our time in Mediterranean and had migrant procedures in place, but the sheer scale of events and number of migrants was something that took us by surprise.

Masters always have to balance commercial charter interests against daily ship operations, but we are required to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost and to proceed with all possible speed to the rescue of persons in distress, in so far as such action may reasonably be expected of us.

U

When working in high-risk areas, it is essential that you prepare well and brief and drill the crew so that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. If a time comes when emergency response is needed, then this is can be acted upon swiftly and professionally. As mariners that is something that we are all used to, regular drills and training.

The emotional impact is another aspect that had to be dealt with. There was a situation during one of the rescues which had a large emotional impact on some of the crew, including myself. The onboard medics were extremely helpful to the crew after the event and Deepocean also provided the necessary emergency response back-up/duty of care, which included a full debrief and offer of advice or counselling to those who required it.

As master, the hard part is lifting the spirits of the crew after such events and returning to our normal and familiar work routines.

The migrant situation in the Mediterranean is sad and heart-wrenching. In some cases, the migrant rafts had run out of fuel, drifting aimlessly and hoping to be found. Others had no engines at all and had been towed out beyond 12nm and left to drift, again in the hope of being found.

I am proud of the efforts of the Deep Vision’s crew, especially the rescue boat crew, in what were very difficult and emotional circumstances. All the crew showed great professionalism and good seamanship, which resulted in the safe rescue of 907 people.

Captain Jamie Wilson, master of the Deep Vision

A

MV Deep Vision is a UK-flagged multi-purpose ROV support vessel owned and operated by DeepOcean AS, of Haugesund, Norway. At the time the crew were asked to assist with migrant rescues, the vessel was engaged in inspection work in the Mediterranean, from Libya to Italy.

Deep Vision’s master, Captain Jamie Wilson, has been at sea since 1998, joining James Fisher Tankships as a deck officer cadet and undertaking training at Fleetwood Nautical Campus.

He left James Fisher in 2002 after serving on various coastal tankers, and briefly worked on the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel Pole Star before entering the offshore industry. There he served onboard supply vessels and then moved to subsea inspection vessels carrying out trenching, diving and ROV inspection work.

Having gained his master’s certificate in March 2012, Jamie Wilson wasawarded the command of the Deep Vision in January 2013, at the age of 31.

The rescue operation on 29 January 2017

22/03/2017 18:00

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Would protectionis be such a bad thing P

After decades of wilful government neglect, endless job losses and relentless downward pressure on wages and working conditions, seafaring unions now see the first glimmers of hope.

Globalisation is on the back foot, and this could — possibly — be good news for European officers and ratings. A gathering of unions, regulators, academics and industry representatives in Brussels during European Shipping Week heard much talk of the winds of change.

The Seafarers Matter seminar, organised by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), was staged to discuss the case for protecting EU seafaring employment and to enhance support for training.

Opening the conference, Philippe Alfonso, the ETF’s political secretary for maritime transport, stated: ‘Too much emphasis has been put on administrative simplification, decarbonisation and opening up of third country markets — but what is left for the seafarers?’

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said seafarers feel disillusioned and angry at the fact that Europe accounts for 40% of the world merchant fleet but an increasingly small fraction of the world’s maritime labour market.

‘How can it be right that fewer than 40% of the seafaring posts on European ships are filled by EU seafarers?’ he asked. ‘How can it be right that we see SE Asian pay rates on NW European shipping services?’

While the ETF accepts that shipping is an international industry, there should be no room for global competition on regional routes and services, Mr Dickinson argued. ‘Regulating the competitive climate for such routes will not only ensure that we combat exploitation in our waters, but also encourage operators to compete on quality rather than cost,’ he added.

Mr Dickinson said the EU had been discussing the ‘endangered species’ status of European seafarers for more than three decades — yet ‘all the fine words have done little to arrest what is still an ominous decline’.

The most globalised industry in the world shows how ‘trickle down economics’ has all gone wrong

“

”

Mark Dickinson Nautilus International general secretary Other countries are increasingly taking protectionist measures to support their maritime sectors, he pointed out, and this trend will grow unless globalisation reinvents itself as a force that delivers for the majority of people and not just the few.

RMT national secretary Steve Todd warned that failure to train sufficient numbers means that a huge proportion of the existing seafarer workforce will be lost through retirements over the next few years. ‘I am sick and tired of the race to the bottom,’ he added.

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 20

an inevitable rise of the Fa Brexit and defeatism. Th Investment P the US and th agreed. The E CETA will be of globalisati down econom irony: the mo demonstrate EU state a down the dec the seminar h Bhattacharya University, sa encouraged b create enoug ‘The weak the seafarers true problem compete with labour with l limits.’

Mr Dickin better regula downward sp Loopholes in closed to ens to support th nationals, he And Mr Ch answers the E for. The latte embarkation making bette has the powe work.’

Maritime unions made sure that the case for arresting the decline in EU seafarer employment and training was high on the agenda during European Shipping Week, writes JUSTIN STARES…

Building a better future: pictured by the record-breaking Lego ship during European Shipping Week are, left to right, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, European Community Shipowners’ Associations secretary-general Patrick Verhoeven, and RMT national secretary Steve Todd

ETF secretary general Eduardo Chagas said that seafarers are often treated as second-class citizens — being the victims of a pervading ‘laissez-faire culture’ and an unwillingness to guarantee them basic rights such as social security and paid leave. He highlighted the ‘slave-like conditions’ onboard vessels flying flags of convenience, the unacceptably high risk of injuries, and the difficulties newly-trained European cadets face in their search for work.

Marko Šuljić, a student at the Rijeka Nautical Academy in Croatia, challenged the myth that young Europeans no longer wish to work at sea.

In his country, many ‘aspire to be a captain or engineer onboard a ship’ — yet ‘Croatia has an abundant supply of bartenders as many young cadets are waiting sometimes up to three years to find embarkation and finally give up a promising career at sea’.

But Commission officer Jean-Louis Colson said the struggle of European seafarers is symptomatic of all European industries. ‘What can Europe compete on?’ he asked. The standard answer to this question has until now been ‘quality’, but there is a growing realisation that Europe’s edge is close to being lost, if it hasn’t been lost already.

Most are now in agreement that something needs to be done. Even the Commission’s newlyinstalled maritime director, Magda Kopczynska, talked of the need to protect seafarers’ jobs. But the unanswered question remains: What should be done?

Legislative tweaks, such as the inclusion of seafarers within some European social

legislation, are welcome but have made little difference on the ground, said Mr Chagas. The ETF secretary general would like to see the return of protectionism — no longer, perhaps, a dirty word.

He dismissed Commission complaints that this is too complex a problem to tackle with EU law. ‘If you can impose austerity on Greece, then you can legislate for seafarers,’ he told Mr Colson.

P

Brussels law-makers are however unconvinced that unsuccessful proposals of the past should be disinterred. ‘How can we protect these jobs?’ asked Ms Kopczynska.

‘It’s not easy. If you have the answer to how the EU Commission could act on this issue then please let me know.’

Resurrecting the European Union manning directive, the last attempt to protect Europe’s coastal trades, was a bad idea, she said. ‘Don’t come back to me and say we want a manning directive, because I have strong doubts.’

Some European governments still resist allowing other EU nationals to work on deepsea vessels flagged on their domestic register, the maritime director said, while refusing to name the countries. Given this resistance, there was little or no chance that a re-worked manning directive would be approved by the Brussels Council of Ministers, where governments are represented.

The manning directive, launched in the 1990s, got stuck in the Council when a small number of EU member states put together what is known in EU jargon as a ‘blocking minority’. The proposal was eventually withdrawn.

The commission’s directorate-general for transport might be willing to give it another try — but only if there was a chance that it would work this time, Ms Kopczynska hinted. She is unconvinced.

Admitting there is a problem is nevertheless in itself a sign that policy in Brussels could be on the verge of change. Until now, the official line has been that Europe’s industrial haemorrhaging is

Elvira Deleu, a third officer serving with Exmar Shipmanagement, spoke about maritime careers in a session at the ESW conference

P

Dutc Euro a Eur promote a ra bottom’.

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At anothe director gene Association, can force out sectors. The s retraining th compete in t argued.

This deba decades, the swelling.

This is like g Justin Sta

22/03/2017 18:00

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

NAUTILUS AT WORK

sm g? table process, the result of the inexorable he Far East. it and Trump put an end to this m. The Trans-Atlantic Trade and ment Partnership (TTIP) talks between and the EU are dead, conference speakers The EU-Canada free trade deal known as ll be seen by historians as the high point lisation, Mr Dickinson predicted. ‘Trickleconomics has failed.’ he said. ‘There is the he most globalised industry in the world strates how it has all gone wrong.’ tate aid guidelines have merely slowed he decline rather than reversing it, inar heard. Professor Syamantak harya, from Southampton Solent ity, said cadet training schemes had been aged but the guidelines had failed to nough demand. weakest link in the fair trade chain is arers,’ Prof Bhattacharya added. ‘The oblem is that European seafarers have to e with non-organised and non-regulated with low wages and without working time ickinson said Europe should aim for egulation of shipping, to stamp out the ard spiral in seafarers’ working lives. les in the state aid guidelines should be o ensure that the benefits of state aid go ort the employment and training of EU ls, he argued.

Mr Chagas added: ‘ETF does have the s the European Commission is looking latter has the authority to regulate ation of young European cadets by better use of the state aid guidelines, and power to make fair transport in Europe

Dutch MEP Agnes Jongerius said European institutions should aim for a Europe-wide level playing field ‘and e a race to the top instead of a race to the ’.

French MEP Isabelle Thomas added: ‘We ommon maritime space with a strong omponent to the benefit of not only rs, but of the maritime cluster as a whole.’ future, therefore, might well be onism. Indeed, there is already a good evidence showing that protectionism is ise in many countries. But Brussels is a eavy liner. Changing course can only be d with great effort and time. the forces of globalisation will not lie uietly. Shipowners, who are willing to measures to make European seafarers mployable, want to focus on ensuring funds can be effectively used for training. no one solution to the seafarer problem, SA secretary general Patrick Verhoeven, h he agreed that there is a problem in sufficient berths for cadets and suggested re should be more coordination between nies. nother event in Brussels, Anne Steffensen, r general of the Danish Shipowners’ tion, admitted that liberalised trade e out employees in uncompetitive The solution was not protectionism but ng the newly unemployed so they can e in the changing world economy, she debate is now raging. For the first time in , the critics of free trade feel their ranks g. is likely to be a pivotal year. n Stares is editor of maritimewatch.eu

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 21

We can’t compete with land transport like this F

All sides of the maritime sector came together during European Shipping Week last month to issue a united call for a radical shake-up of EU shipping policy.

Ten organisations — including the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) — marked the second ESW with a joint statement welcoming the European Commission’s mid-term review of its 2009-2018 maritime transport strategy — and urging the development of an ‘ambitious’ new policy programme for the next decade.

Some 30 high-level events were staged under the ESW banner, bringing regulators together with owners, unions, managers and port representatives. Sessions included a seminar on social responsibility in shipping, the future of the industry, and the improving the port infrastructure in Europe.

Almost 350 delegates attended the official ESW17 conference — with debates on the global factors affecting EU shipping, maritime careers, and the effectiveness of European maritime policies.

European transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said she had welcomed the opportunity to hear the ‘knowledge and passion’ of people working in the shipping industry and to discuss such key issues as investment, innovation, decarbonisation and the digitalisation of the maritime sector.

Ms Bulc said that the Commission will be assessing all aspects of its maritime policy over the next few months to ensure that EU shipping is globally competitive and ‘fit for the digital age’.

And she promised: ‘We will also aim to attract new investors and most importantly, more skilled people to this sector.’

ECSA secretary general Patrick Verhoeven said the week had ‘provided an excellent platform for frank discussions about the future of

European transport commissioner Violeta BulC is leading a review of EU maritime policy

European shipping policy. It was great to see that policy-makers, and industry stakeholders were not afraid to speak their minds, but were also ready to listen to each other.

‘We must now use this momentum to give shape to an ambitious European shipping strategy for the next decade,’ he added.

The joint statement issued by members of the

ESW Steering Group — including ECSA, the ETF, the European Maritime Pilots Association, the European Boatmen’s Association, Interferry and the Cruise Lines International Association Europe — backed the Commission’s emphasis on better regulation, but argued that ‘absolute priority’ must be given to a fundamental overhaul of the EU Reporting Formalities’ Directive.

‘The revision should lead to a true European single window environment for maritime carriers that fully ensures the “reporting once” principle and which shares all necessary cargo and conveyance data between governments and all relevant authorities,’ the statement added. ‘This would reduce the administrative burden for ship crews, shipping companies and ship agents.

‘More simplifications of procedures and requirements are, however, needed to put shipping on an equal par with land-based transport modes, which already benefit from a Single Market,’ it continued. ‘Europe’s commerce and economy need shipping to have a genuine maritime space without barriers that will deliver real environmental and logistics benefits.’

The ESW partners called upon EU institutions and member states to go beyond a regulatory ‘fitness check’ of existing legislation and to formulate a new shipping strategy to promote Europe as ‘a globally-leading, high-quality region for shipping to do business in.

‘This requires investment in an attractive business climate, a highly skilled European workforce, consistent implementation of international environmental and safety standards as well as policies which are truly relevant and conducive to facilitating trade,’ the statement added. ‘The strategy should firmly put shipping in its diversity at the heart of the maritime cluster.’

The owners published an accompanying paper examining EU shipping and global trade — and voicing concern that a growing trend of protectionism in many parts of the world could jeopardise the principles of free trade and could exclude shipping from access to key markets.

ECSA said the EU should ensure that shipping is included in any trade-related discussions and that all EU trade agreements should secure free and equal access to international maritime transport services.

20 years of talk, and EU shortsea shipping still isn’t working F

Nautilus representatives took part in a workshop on EU shortsea shipping organised by the Dutch shipowners’ association, in collaboration with Greek, Swedish, Spanish and Croatian owners.

The meeting was held to discuss the challenges and obstacles facing policy aims of boosting the role of shortsea shipping within Europe and to highlight measures which could help the sector to expand.

Lamia Kerdjoudj-Belkaid, secretary-general of the European port operators’ federation, said the issues have been on the agenda for more than 20 years, but policy initiatives intended to deliver support ‘did not unleash the real potential that shortsea shipping represents for intra-EU trade’.

Mike Corrigan, incoming CEO of the ferry industry organisation Interferry, questioned why only 3% of total European transport funding is devoted to ferries despite the sector’s major contribution to Europe’s economy and the policy calls for shifting goods from road to sea.

Nautilus Council member Captain Henk Eijkenaar attended the seminar and said he was disappointed at the lack of attention it paid to the human factor.

‘They were talking about costs, investments and ships,’ he pointed out.

‘One of the subjects was ballast water management, which is a big issue, as it is not only asking for a substantial investment but there is also the problem that it is not clear which equipment will be accepted as countries

are interpreting the regulations in different ways,’ Capt Eijkenaar added.

He questioned whether port states should have a responsibility to provide affordable reception facilities ashore. However, he noted, there are no regulations yet and it is unknown which equipment needs to be installed to receive ballast water ashore.

Capt Eijkenaar said the ‘one window’ system for simplifying port and cargo documents was discussed in detail. ‘This system is working in some countries, but for the ships it is only creating more administrative work,’ he pointed out.

‘Another interesting topic was pilot exemption, as the owners are asking for EU regulation for pilot exemption certificates,’ he said. ‘A member of the EU pilotage association said that it was not possible to make EU regulations, as every port and every situation is different.

‘I added that sailing without a pilot is also an extra burden for the ship’s master and pointed out that also there is still a language problem as there is no port, outside the UK and Ireland, where they always speak English — which can lead to dangerous situations, especially if you don’t have a local pilot onboard.

‘What everybody agreed on is that shipping is the most environment friendly way of transport and that everything should be done to keep it that way, and that shipping should be brought more to the attention of the public,’ Capt Eijkenaar added.

Nautilus Council member Henk Eijkenaar was part of the Union’s delegation at the ESW shortsea shipping seminar Picture: Colin McPherson

22/03/2017 18:01

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

MARITIME EDUCATION

Keeping faith with French seafarers With studies showing a slump in seafarer training and employment in many traditional shipping nations, JEFF APTER visited France’s leading maritime academy to find out how cadets are faring in that country…

French maritime academy ENSM Picture: Eric Houri

a

Following a far-reaching reform and the inauguration of a brand new building at Le Havre, the French maritime academy ENSM is now having to face the reality of the decline in the country’s shipping industry.

The French flag has been losing ships for many years now, and employment opportunities for the country’s officers and ratings have declined at the same time. ‘We are living through an international crisis with big problems for employment — and not only in France,’ warns ENSM managing director Patrice Laporte.

A former ship’s officer and a specialist in marine radars, systems and dynamic positioning, Mr Laporte worked for 25 years in France’s hydrographic office before taking up his post with ENSM last year.

‘In the 1950s French-flagged shipping employed 70,000 seafarers and in 2016 the country registered 13,000 officers and ratings,’ he reflects.

Mr Laporte blames much of the problem on over-capacity in the container sector, and says flagging out has had a very negative impact on French seafaring — with the ‘unfavourable trend’ continuing today. The country’s biggest shipping firm, CMA CGM, is the world’s third largest containership firm but registers only 23 of its 500-plus vessels under the French flag.

Mr Laporte is cautiously satisfied with his first few months in the job. ‘Nobody knows what the employment situation will be in a few years from now — but we

ENSM managing director Patrice Laporte Picture: Jeff Apter

will maintain, and hopefully extend the numbers seeking our top-level training,’ he says.

In the face of the decline in French shipping,, the Academy’s financial situation is ‘difficult but not catastrophic’, Mr Laporte notes. The ENSM is a public organisation, funded 85% by the French government and 15% self-funded. It is administered by a board of directors that comprises operators, specialists and ENSM staff and cadets. Seafaring unions argue that they should also be on the board of such an important national professional training body.

While the government granted ENSM a higher operating subsidy last November, it said the board must keep expendi-

ture down and seek fresh resources. The Academy wants to increase the number of cadets and the number of teachers and lecturers — but Mr Laporte warns that it will not be possible without an increased budget. ‘We are looking into it, and either we will have to make cuts in our operations or increase income,’ he reflects.

ENSM has managed to recruit eight new lecturers in recent times, but Mr Laporte says there are problems in recruiting merchant navy officers who do not want to change careers under such conditions.

The annual intake for top-level officer training has been cut to 130 places from May 2017 — a reduction from 180 in previous years. A further 48 places are open

for candidates for the initial deck and engineer officer courses.

The annual costs of a cadetship at ENSM are about €15,000, with families paying €1,300 a year for maritime training courses and €860 for cadets with bursaries usually awarded by the French government. Accommodation and living expenses are extra. Sponsorship for cadets from shipping companies no longer exists.

High school-level students are admitted on the basis of a three-hour test. Entry examinations are held in ENSM’s four sites in Le Havre, Nantes, St Malo, and Marseilles, and also in Paris and some of France’s overseas territories.

Full STCW deck and engineer officer training lasts for five and a half years, with courses mixing classroom studies at Marseilles with at least a year at sea during the fourth year, and the final year at Le Havre.

a

The Academy’s three-year engineer officers’ course takes place at St Malo, and the three-year deck officers’ course is held at Le Havre. The ENSM establishment at Nantes offers continuing training and, from this year, delivers a diploma in maritime engineering for cadets who have their maritime high school leaving certificate plus three years at university.

Last autumn, a total of 1,276 students were accepted for the courses at ENSM’s four sites, 85% of them from France’s western seaboard. A major objective for ENSM is to achieve an increase in the number of French women seafarers. For

many years the figures have remained static at around 10%, Mr Laporte says, and the Academy is working to attain 20% in the medium term — although he admits this probably is not realistic.

Mr Laporte says recruiting students and cadets is a problem, as young people continue to be unaware of what the merchant navy means as a career choice. ‘This hasn’t changed much over recent years,’ he adds.

Mr Laporte says the ongoing problem of finding berths for cadets has been partially solved because there are fewer cadets seeking them, and spreading voyages throughout the year has also helped. The Academy has been encouraging diversification of berths on different types of ships, such as yachts and big fishing vessels. ‘But, frankly, this has not been a success,’ he admits.

ENSM’s recent public revelation that it is seeking to encourage its cadets and young officers to sail under foreign flags and establish a list of agencies and operators has caused criticism in the profession, especially among the officer unions.

The FOMM-CGT, CFE-CGC and CFDT unions deplored the fact that so many officers could graduate from the publiclyfunded ENSM without job opportunities, health coverage and pension rights.

FOMM general secretary Jean-Philippe Chateil warned that lack of action from the government and the profession will result in ‘fewer young people seeking to come into merchant navy careers and a loss of qualified officers and the excellence of French maritime know-how’.

Adventure, independence and the wonder of the sea 21, are cadets in the final year of ENSM’s F five-and-a half year course. They explain why Heloise Marie, 24 and Gabriel Guibert,

they have chosen a career in shipping: Heloise: When I was 13 at school in the Paris area I became interested in the merchant navy, but was told that a job at sea wasn’t for girls. I don’t come from a maritime family and it came as a major shock for my family when I said I wanted to go to sea. My mother said such an idea would go away when I got older. During a one-week course in school I met a former captain, an English woman who recounted her experiences, and I decided that’s what I wanted.

Heloise Marie and Gabriel Guibert, final year officer trainees at ENSM Picture: Jeff Apter

22_ensm_SR edit.indd Sec2:22

Gabriel: I was also born in a town outside Paris.

My family is originally from Corsica and both my parents were in the French navy. When I turned 17 I decided I wanted to go to sea. After talking to contacts in the profession I opted for the merchant navy, to work on passenger and cruise ships. During the fourth year at ENSM I spent nine months at sea, with Brittany ferries and SNCM, on a French training ship and on the 62m British yacht Sea Owl.

Heloise: The big attraction for me is being onboard— you are working with your team and have to learn to do everything you need in life, including fire-fighting, giving medical attention and so on. You are away from the rest of the world — independent! In my fourth year of training I spent 13 months at sea, though normally it’s 12. My first berth was two months on a Maersk France chemical tanker, then twice two months on a CMA CGM box ship and seven months with a Socotra oil and chemical tanker. All the berths were on ships flying the French flag. Onboard I don’t want to be there as a girl cadet coming to work, help and learn but to be treated as an equal. Women onboard don’t want specific treatment as females, but as cadets. Most of the time people seemed to accept a kind of positive discrimination onboard.

Gabriel: I love learning to be an officer. When I need to look into myself I go to the sea, even if it’s sitting on a beach gazing at it. It’s my Corsican heritage. France has a fantastic relationship with the sea — with the North Sea, Channel, Atlantic and the Mediterranean — but people outside the maritime world

don’t understand the choice of going to sea. There is a sort of ignorance as to what it means to work onboard a merchant ship. They associate the sea with fishing or the navy, the military side.

Heloise: I agree there’s a lot of ignorance, but there is also a lack of communication about the industry, and when I explain what life at sea is like, people tend to think it’s because there is a problem with one’s family life. When I was at school, nobody seemed interested or aware about the merchant navy, but when I talked about the influence it has and its important place in society, people showed more interest and understanding of the profession.

Gabriel: In choosing a maritime career your life will be completely different from being at school. It is true that there is a crisis in the maritime industry, as there is in the global economy, but I think things are getting better — for example in the cruiseship sector.

Colleagues I meet onboard say indeed there is a crisis, but don’t let that stop you from doing what you want to do and if you really want to stay in the industry, do it!

22/03/2017 15:31

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

MARITIME CAREERS

The first Rainbow Warrior in 1985 Picture: Greenpeace/John Miller

With more than 35 years of experience on Greenpeace protest vessels, and well over 400,000 sailing miles under his belt, Peter Willcox is a seasoned eco-warrior.

He tells SARAH ROBINSON about his work on the frontline of the fight to protect the environment…

Captain Peter Willcox Picture: Greenpeace/Nick Cobbing

Sailing to save the Earth I

Let’s tackle the biggest question first. Is Peter Willcox a pirate? He’s certainly been arrested on suspicion of piracy more than once, and some in the maritime community were in no doubt that the Greenpeace skipper was on the wrong side of the law during a protest action in 2013.

In this well-known incident, 30 seafarers, activists and journalists sailing on the Arctic Sunrise were arrested, following their protest against plans by the Russian state-owned oil company Gazprom to begin drilling in the Arctic. Having scaled Gazprom’s Prirazlomnoye platform while in international waters, the campaigners were fired on by armed guards and taken to Russia under accusations of piracy.

As some of the Arctic Sunrise’s crew were Nautilus members, the Union spoke out to ensure they received fair treatment by the Russian authorities — as did the captain’s own US-based union, the MM&P. But not everyone agreed that the seafarers deserved this support.

One letter to the Telegraph in January 2014 said: ‘As a master mariner who has sailed through many pirate areas, it seems to me that what the activists did was indeed piracy. Unlawfully and forcefully boarding a vessel at sea to the detriment of the crew aboard cannot be seen otherwise; whatever the intention once onboard.’

Another reader, who worked on a semisubmersible rig, said: ‘If these members of Greenpeace decided to try and board us, we would be terrified as we would have no idea what their intentions would be — I think this defines the word “terrorist” and therefore justifies calling them pirates.’

Strong words, but Peter Willcox has an equally robust defence. ‘The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg ruled that we were not pirates,’ he stresses. ‘We were not armed or violent in any way, we did not steal or damage property, and we were not trying to take over the vessel. Yes, we were trespassing, but we were only there to climb part of the way up the rig and hold up signs.’

What of the accusation that the Greenpeace team were putting innocent workers on the rig in fear of their lives? ‘They knew exactly who we were and what we were doing,’ he says wryly. ‘We had actually been out to that rig a few weeks before

GET YOUR

and made ourselves known to them, and when we came back they were waiting for us with armed guards.’

The Arctic Sunrise crew were not entirely surprised to be arrested, but what followed was unusual. ‘We thought we’d be taken to Murmansk for a ticking off, as had happened on other campaigns, but we were thrown in jail and told to expect a trial and a long sentence.’

In the end, an international outcry about the Russians’ perceived heavyhandedness — together with the findings of the Hamburg court — led to the Greenpeace activists being released after two months. ‘I could live with that,’ says Peter.

‘I admit I was wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into when they were talking about 10, 15 years, but two months in jail to raise awareness is fine.’

After all, being arrested is par for the course in the tradition of non-violent direct action. Peter comes from a family of activists who impressed on him the need to follow the example of role models such as Mahatma Gandhi. ‘My family were involved in the US civil rights movement and campaigned against the Vietnam War,’ he says. ‘And after my grandparents led a peace delegation to China in the 1950s, they and my mother had their passports taken away, and were scrutinised by the McCarthy investigations for their “un-American activities”.’

I

When, in the early 1970s, he became of an age to be drafted into the Vietnam War himself, Peter stuck to his family’s principles of non-violence and registered as a conscientious objector. This meant that he was obliged to do alternative community service with a registered organisation, and he was pleased to discover that becoming a crew member on the Hudson river sloop Clearwater was acceptable to the authorities.

Known as America’s environmental flagship, the Clearwater was launched in 1969 as part of an effort to clean up the Hudson and provide onboard education on protecting the marine environment.

Peter felt at home on the vessel in more ways than one: he respected the organisation’s environmental work and was also an experienced sailor. ‘The house in Connecticut where I grew up was right on the

The second Rainbow Warrior in 2002 Picture: Greenpeace/ Daniel Beltrá

water,’ he explains,’ and sailing has always been part of my life. On the Clearwater, it was so satisfying to know I was doing it for a purpose. We took school groups out to see the river environment and appreciate it, at a time when the US was just waking up to the damage it was doing in its own backyard through polluting waterways with chemicals and garbage.’

He stayed with the Clearwater for the rest of the decade, working his way up from mate to master through the old ‘hawsepiper’ system — which essentially meant learning on the job rather than attending nautical college. Later, he would formalise his qualifications by taking STCW certificates, but when he joined Greenpeace in the early 1980s, it was more important to the organisation that he had substantial experience of handling a yacht, as this was how the campaign vessel Rainbow Warrior was classified.

‘I took over as skipper of the Rainbow Warrior in October 1981, and stayed with the vessel until we were blown up in 1985,’ he recalls. ‘We were in the Pacific to draw attention to the effects of French nuclear testing and help islanders poisoned by radiation to move to a new home. French agents put a bomb on our boat when we came into port in New Zealand.’ It was this incident, not his 2013 arrest by the Russians, that Peter sees as the worst moment in his career, because a colleague, Fernando Pereira, was killed in the blast.

As anyone would, Peter asked himself some hard questions at that time as to whether he and Greenpeace were doing the right thing. But he came to feel that his colleague’s death had not been in vain when the bombing led to a huge upsurge of public support for Greenpeace. A new Rainbow Warrior was launched in 1989 to continue the anti-nuclear campaign, and by 1998 the international nuclear test ban treaty had even been ratified by France.

I

Another success in the 1990s was the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty — a worldwide agreement to ban any mining in the Antarctic for 50 years.

This led to a quieter period for Peter and his crew, because for a while in the early 2000s there was less of a need for a campaign ship to draw attention to a major environmental issue. So the skipper took the opportunity to gain seatime in the mainstream merchant marine, working on the cable repair ship Global Marine, the containership Atlantic Guardian and the trampship Argonaut.

In more recent years, however, there has been a great deal for Greenpeace’s seafarers to do, as the organisation has moved its primary focus to tackling climate change — hence the 2013 campaign at the Prirazlomnoye platform. It’s something Peter Willcox is passionate about: ‘We have to persuade the world to leave

the oil in the ground! The sea has already become more acidic from absorbing carbon dioxide, and we can see reefs and other vital ecosystems dying.’

Does he not have any sympathy for the jobs of fellow seafarers that would be lost if offshore oil and gas exploitation came to an end? ‘To be honest,’ he says, ‘I think people should be afraid for their jobs in the fossil fuel industry — it just can’t go on. I would hope that offshore wind energy would take over, and I think that’s where seafarers should be looking for work.’

And isn’t it rather hypocritical that Greenpeace vessels such as the Arctic Sunrise are powered by fossil fuels?

‘This is an issue that we need to address,’ Peter admits. ‘We don’t have the technology to do without motors entirely at the moment, but that has to be the future.

We’ve started to make the change with the third Rainbow Warrior, which is almost entirely powered by sail — we only had to use seven hours on the motor in the whole of our recent Atlantic crossing.

Greenpeace will never build another fossil fuel ship, but we need to find a better way to power our existing ice class vessels, so we’re researching the possibility of using a combination of sail and battery power.’

It’s clearly a problem that he's committed to solving, and after nearly five decades of environmental campaigning, Peter Willcox remains as strongly wedded to the cause as ever. The memoir he published this year looks back on successes such as the Antarctic mining ban and his earlier work fighting the whaling industry, but he doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels while there’s still work to do.

He’s only human, and he does care what fellow seafarers think of his methods — as demonstrated by his eagerness to argue that he has never been a pirate under international law. But he will do whatever it takes to save the planet. ‘I never thought when I started out that I’d be fighting for my kids’ futures, but that’s what it’s all about now. What’s the point of making money from oil and gas? You can’t take it with you when you die.’ g Greenpeace Captain, by Peter Willcox and Ronald B Weiss, is published by Sandstone Press. It was reviewed in the March 2017 Nautilus Telegraph.

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22/03/2017 15:34

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

SEAFARER TRAINING

Trainees with the Wight stuff c

‘In 145 days we have survived all sorts— including a force 10 gale crossing the English Channel and steering failure— and we haven’t quite killed each other.’

That’s Chris Roberts, reflecting on the first five months of his professional superyacht officer training with Isle of Wight-based UKSA. He is one of 25 cadets who completed the first phase of their Professional Yacht Cadetship (PYC) last month.

All the cadets are committed to a four-year professional academic and practical programme — including two sea phases working in the superyacht industry.

This leads to the MCA Officer of the Watch (3,000gt) Certificate of Competency.

Chris is one of six Trinity House-sponsored cadets on the course. He’s keen to highlight several key themes: the high quality of pastoral care at the college; the strong team-building bonds the course fosters among students; and the importance of sponsorship in the first phase.

UKSA cadet manager and student mentor Emma Baggett said the cadets chalk up ‘extraordinary’ achievements in the first five months of the course. ‘They have gained 2,500 sailing miles, they have done three 60-mile pas-

The next generation of superyacht captains and officers training at the Isle of Wight-based UKSA youth charity tell DEBORAH McPHERSON about their gruelling first phase on the course…

Proud UKSA cadets celebrating the completion of their first PYC phase

sages, they have qualified in radar, radio, first aid and fire training and survival at sea — you name it, they have done it! We say this is an alternative to university, but what an alternative!’

As well as the 150 cadets who are currently at various stages of

the five-phase PYC programme, UKSA trains an additional 350 people a year for jobs in the the superyacht sector, and many more who just want to learn to sail. In the 30 years since the charity was founded — originally as a national centre where young peo-

ple learned to sail — it has evolved to produce many of the officers and captains in the superyacht sector today.

UKSA chief executive Ben Willows added that the charity’s students follow a ‘unique blend’ of courses, ranging from the PYC to basic dinghy sailing.

He notes the support given by organisations including Seafarers UK (which part-funds up to six cadets a year), Trinity House (which sponsors six cadets a year) and the Royal Merchant Navy Education Fund — which this year, for the first time, has sponsored two cadets. Further student funding is also provided by the Milo Hanlon Bursary and the Stephen Thomas Bursary, which was set up in memory of the UKSA supporter and sailor Stephen Thomas.

Ms Baggett said UKSA has a long-term commitment to deliver professionally trained officers to meet the growing demand of the superyacht sector.

‘Alongside this,’ she added, ‘is the wish that the superyacht industry itself will become involved in supporting young people with the financial assistance needed to access training — and thereby benefit from a stream of much needed candidates that have longevity, commitment and real integrity.’

WERE YOU AWARE that following the successul outcome of a judicial review in respect of two Seatax clients, (brought before the Courts by Nautilus in collaboration with Seatax Ltd as expert advisors on the Seafarers Earnings Deduction), it was deemed that the two Seatax clients did have a legitimate expectation in applying the only published Revenue Practice with regard to the application of a day of absence in relation to a vessel sailing between UK ports. HMRC did not want to accept this practice (although referred to in their very own publications) but have now accepted that expectations of a claim based on such practice would be valid until the published practice is withdrawn.

Following on from this, HMRC have now confirmed that this Practice is withdrawn as of the 14 February 2014. Seatax was the only Advisory Service that challenged HMRC on this point.

WHY TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR TAX AFFAIRS? Let Seatax use their knowledge and 35 years experience to ensure you do not fall foul of the rules

James Berry, a UKSA cadet sponsored by Trinity House All pictures: UKSA

Eye-opening opportunities on the island course is a ‘rollercoaster’ -- but P make it clear that the sponsorship The PYC cadets all agree the

and pastoral care are key to their achievements so far.

Lisa Maycock — who won the Nautilus award for most sociallyminded student — paid tribute to her sponsor Trinity House, saying like many of the sponsored cadets that she would not have been able to do the course without this support. She hopes to become a captain ‘in the distant future’, preferably on a classic sailing yacht.

Charley Keep, a cadet sponsored

by Seafarers UK, said she had discovered on the course that going out in rough sea conditions is her ‘favourite thing’. None of her family are involved in seafaring, but she got hooked on her career path after a stint as a dinghy sailing instructor at UKSA one summer. ‘When I came to UKSA I saw a wider maritime industry that I never knew existed.’

Of particular importance to Charley is the PYC mix of academic and physical learning: ‘I have never been that academic, so doing something physical like this is good for me as it gets me outside. Doing something you enjoy gives you a passion, and makes you want to find out more.’

Trinity House-sponsored cadet James Berry described how the course has been ‘incredibly intensive, but well-paced’ and that he appreciated how his sponsor takes a close interest in his

progress. ‘I have learnt how to be a skipper and captain a boat, and it’s surprising how confident I feel after five months,’ he adds. ‘The instructors here are phenomenal, and all care deeply about your progress and are so experienced.’

Their instruction paid off during one particularly hairy 60-mile passage where James was skippering a crew of four other cadets in a yacht that suffered with steering failure off Weymouth after it was hit by waves. Managing to put an emergency tiller on after nine hours with the help of fellow crew member Chris Roberts was a huge confidence-builder, said James. But, he adds, ‘It is also a testament to the shore-based theory we learnt. It just clicked when we had to do it for real.’

One of the youngest of the cadets is Jake Strachan, who was still a few months off 18 when he joined the programme.

He was awarded the CrewFo top cadet award for the most ‘consistently high professional standard, personal effort, and team contribution honour’. Earlier in the course he also received the prestigious Fisgard Plate in recognition of his success in marine engineering examinations.

Jake gave a moving account of his transition from a small fishing village in northern Scotland. ‘I never thought I would fit in down here,’ he admitted, ‘but in the end I have had the best experience of my life and made friends for life.’

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Annual Return ...................................................................................................... £215.00 inclusive of VAT at 20% NAUTILUS members in the UK sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction on the above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment.

or ite, e now r W on re ph r mo : fo tails de Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES. Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk www.seatax.ltd.uk Charley Keep, a UKSA cadet sponsored by Seafarers UK

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22/03/2017 18:01

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

MARITIME COMMUNITY

Altruism and adventure M

At the end of February, third officer Alden Plows flew out from Heathrow to join the world’s largest ‘floating hospital’ — Africa Mercy, a 16,572gt vessel operated by the global charity Mercy Ships.

Alden comes from Southampton, on the south coast of England.

Having completed the rigorous application process, he is now, at the age of 22, one of the youngest crew members to work onboard the Africa Mercy.

Mercy Ships delivers vital, free healthcare services to individuals and communities in some of Africa’s poorest nations, such as Madagascar, the Republic of Congo, and Benin, where the Africa Mercy is currently docked in the port city of Cotonou.

As regular Telegraph readers will know, the vessel is a former Danish rail ferry that Mercy Ships converted into a hospital ship at a yard in Hebburn, NE England. The Maltese-flagged ship houses five operating theatres and an 82-bed ward, and it is Alden’s home for three months. He joined a crew of over 450 people — which includes

Nautilus has chipped in to support a member volunteering on the Africa Mercy, the well-known charity ship providing medical care in some of the world’s poorest countries… surgeons, dentists, nurses, teachers, cooks, engineers, and cleaners — most of whom donate their time and skills each year for free.

Alden’s position onboard will see him helping to supervise the maintenance of the ship’s safety equipment and assisting the chief officer in the supervision of deck work.

The third officer will also have the responsibility of maintaining and training others in the use of emergency life-saving appliances, while representing the captain in all matters of ship business and keeping a navigational watch during times of sailing.

‘I chose to volunteer with Mercy Ships as an amazing opportunity to use my skills onboard a ship that is doing such incredible work, and being part of a huge team who all have the same motives really excites me,’ Alden says.

‘Knowing that I’m a part of

a community that is doing lifechanging work for thousands of people makes me feel like I’m doing my part,’ he continues.

‘Additionally, the experience I’m gaining whilst onboard will develop and enhance my professional ability. The time on the Africa Mercy will also provide maritime experience that should help me later through my career. This is a fastchanging industry, with new practices coming in all the time. Being in the workplace on a ship like this means the crew will be able to teach me a lot and I’m hoping I’ll be able to bring something to them too.’

In order to volunteer, Alden had to raise the money necessary to support himself during his time onboard Africa Mercy, and his fundraising initiatives saw him set up a GoFundMe page, with many friends and family donating.

Alden has also received finan-

cial backing from Nautilus International and support from the Ship Safe Training Group — which, having heard of his mission, chose to contribute a month’s worth of vital funding for the trip.

In addition, he received a €2,500 donation from a Dutch marine engineering firm. And Alden’s local school, Brockhurst Primary, invited him to speak to the children about being an officer at sea and the work Mercy Ships is doing, while also fundraising for him via a bake sale.

The desire to work at sea came quite naturally to Alden, as his father was a shipmaster and his older brother went through officer training. As a child, he and his brothers visited the cross-Channel ferry on which his father was captain, and the warmth of the crew, the technology, teamwork and scale of the whole operation captured Alden’s imagination.

Alden Plows Picture: Callum Dare

Having completed his three-year cadetship with SSTG and Warsash Maritime Academy, Alden qualified as a deck officer in 2016. His seatime included several trips in the offshore oil and gas sector, working on supply and standby vessels, and he has been back for a further trip there since qualifying.

For the future, he is aiming to end up working in the cruise industry — as are his older and younger brother.

‘It isn’t easy leaving home, never has been and never will be, for any seafarer,’ he points out. ‘However, it is a life we choose. Our family and friends come to accept what we do and I am fortunate to have such huge support for my career in general and even more so for this particular trip with Mercy Ships.

‘I feel really excited for the trip every time I think about it, and over the next three months I expect to

meet a lot of amazing people, do a lot of work and hopefully make a difference.

‘To be perfectly honest, this is further afield than I’ve normally travelled, the ship is over twice the size of the ships I used to work on and the crew is 40 times larger than I’m used to,’ Alden admits.

‘I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly anxious under the blanket of excitement because of the different scales of things. However, my three years of training covered all the skills a deck officer would need while at work and included ships of all shapes and sizes, so I am ready for it and cannot wait!’ g To help fund Alden’s trip and find out more about it, visit: www.gofundme.com/africa-mercyvolunteer-officer g To find out more about Mercy Ships or donate visit: www.mercyships.org.uk

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22/03/2017 17:22

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

MEMBERS AT WORK

RFA: Ready for anything Seafarers serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary often face challenging situations supporting naval ships, humanitarian missions and counter-piracy operations.

STEVEN KENNEDY went to Portsmouth to find out how their training rises to the task…

Above: RFA personnel undertaking fire-fighting training at the Phoenix Fire School on HMS Excellent, Portsmouth Picture: Royal Navy Media Archive

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Ensuring that seafarers are up to the challenges that the world’s waters have to throw at them is vital. Safety is paramount and nothing is more dangerous onboard a ship than fire, with confined spaces, toxic substances and intense heat posing immense challenges.

Should the worst happen, it is imperative that all crew members know their jobs and have confidence in those around them. And safety-based skills are made all the more vital if the ship in question is carrying ammunition, sailing in troubled waters or helping with a humanitarian crisis — as is often the case with those serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).

The RFA is in an unusual position. As the civilian, but uniformed, arm of the Royal Navy, its seafarers can find themselves in a variety of difficult and sometimes dangerous situations.

This means that both aspiring and seasoned seafarers go the extra mile, beyond the statutory requirements of the STCW Convention. In speciallydesigned training centres, they undertake additional courses in subjects including fire-fighting, damage repair and confined spaces.

Some of these courses are undertaken on the south coast of England at HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy’s training unit on Whale Island, Portsmouth.

The specially designed set-up includes the state-ofthe-art, purpose-built Phoenix fire school, which combines the very best naval technology with realistic and challenging training scenarios.

‘The training is very life-like — it replicates compartments onboard a warship such as engine rooms, machinery control rooms, mess decks, galleys and passageways,’ explains Captain David Eagles, head of the RFA’s personnel division. ‘The fires inside are gaspowered — making them environmentally-friendly — and supported by smoke generators, which can be controlled by tutors.

‘For the fire-fighting training, for example, we get trainees familiar with the extinguishers and then on to hose-handling. It shows them how holding a fire hose, charged to eight-bar, is very different to dragging around an empty hose.

‘We bring our personnel here for key fire-fighting, damage control and confined-spaces training to give us our naval and seafaring qualifications and to meet the requirements of the Manila STCW Amendments,’ he continues. ‘The courses vary, with some meeting the requirements of the STCW Convention, whilst others take a step beyond that into a higher level of fire-fighting and damage control.’

The training centre is used both by new recruits — straight out of school, on an apprenticeship, or cadets training to become officers — and by those

Aerial image of the RN base at Whale Island Picture: Royal Navy Media Archive

with years of experience undertaking refresher training, which has to be done every five years.

The courses regularly have up to 30 people taking part, and are designed to challenge participants to work as a team and use the skills they have been

he explained. ‘Their key seafarer skills take our personnel to where they need to be. Then on top of that we’ll train our personnel for bespoke skills that are going to be used on operations, like providing disaster and humanitarian aid to war-torn parts of the world.

‘The building blocks are put in place by the STCW, which are our core qualifications. Then our additional professional qualifications equip them to do the tasks.’

that younger people are getting involved,’ added Capt Eagles. ‘Our demographic is more balanced than it used to be, but there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Youngsters entering the training pipeline are key to our future and that is a very bright future.

‘The point I try and hammer home to our students is that, yes, the RFA does make exceptional demands, but if you want a secure future with good promotion prospects doing exceptional things then you’re in the right place.’

With plans in place to address these issues, what of the future of the training centre? The RFA deems HMS Excellent to be ‘tremendous value for money’, as it allows the service to use state-of the-art training facilities without having to pay commercial rates.

And being an organisation whose purse-strings are managed and maintained by the UK government — with seafarers’ pay restricted by tight civil-service pay freezes — it is prudent for the RFA to ensure a cost-effective operation at all levels.

‘We use HMS Excellent to do a great deal of our safety-focused training, and that’s for officers and ratings,’ concluded Cmdre Lamb. ‘Most of the RFA will go through Phoenix at least every five years to revalidate their certification and their Merchant Navy training. The training that we offer here is only the tip of the iceberg. We certainly don’t take shortcuts in terms of delivering a full package of training.

‘I get tremendous value for money here because

K Captain David Eagles, head of HR at the RFA Picture: Steven Kennedy

taught. Alongside the fire school at HMS Excellent is the Damage Repair Instructional Unit (DRIU) — which is a mock-up of a damaged ship, used to teach the art of damage control. Utilising hydraulics, the DRIU even lists at a variety of angles.

Split over three decks, the DRIU simulates compartments of a ship with water rushing in through various holes, and trainers expect seafarers to stop the inrush of water using blocks of wood and hammers.

‘Our personnel are often deployed in potential conflict and hazardous areas, and that goes way beyond what some of our colleagues in the industry would normally do,’ Capt Eagles pointed out.

‘While industry will, by definition, have people fixing the same type of equipment or doing similar tasks, we have quite a wide range of ships and the range of tasks we get is quite extraordinary — from migrant rescue in the Mediterranean, to conducting quite advanced counter-narcotic operations, to dealing with the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone,’

As with other sectors within the maritime industry, the RFA needs to grow a younger workforce for the future. It’s an issue Nautilus has highlighted on many occasions in the Telegraph, and one that those in command at the RFA are not hiding away from.

The RFA training for apprentices to become able seafarers can take up to two years, while cadets will spend as long as three and a half years gaining their officer of the watch qualifications — including time at the naval college in Dartmouth and work onboard building up their seatime and skill sets.

It’s a necessary process to ensure that those going to sea are safe to do so and that they are ready for what lies ahead. And thanks to its high-quality and dedicated training, the RFA believes that it has the processes in place to ensure that it is in good shape to take on this challenge, head-on, and shift the demographic.

‘Demographics are challenging across the industry at the moment,’ explained Commodore Duncan Lamb, head of service for the RFA, who is responsible for almost 2,000 personnel. ‘We’ve introduced a number of entry points which will keep the organisation in balance while we bring our junior officers up through the system’.

‘I think there are a couple of things that the RFA does that makes it stand above other areas of the industry,’ he continued. ‘One of those is the level of training that we offer and also a sense of security. It’s not lifetime security but, in terms of some commercial operators, it’s a more secure employment environment. That perhaps comes at a cost of other things that we don’t offer that other commercial operators do.’

‘It’s fundamental to the future of the organisation

Commodore Duncan Lamb Picture: Royal Navy Media Archive

I’m using capacity that’s already available for the Naval Service. If we were to use a commercial provider I would pay the fees that go with the courses there. It’s good value for money, it’s a good use of the facilities and it’s a good integration with the Royal Navy,’ he stressed.

‘I think the RFA has a different and very competitive employment offer and exciting job challenges, which are markedly different to the rest of the commercial world.’ g For more information about HMS Excellent and the RFA, visit www.royalnavy.mod.uk.

Safety skills with no exceptions is not only ship safety training, it’s also P about people safety.’ Those are the words ‘The Basic Sea Survival Course (BSSC)

Chief officer Simon Jordan, the chief of staff for the RFA Picture: Steven Kennedy

26_rfa_SR edit.indd Sec2:26

of chief officer Simon Jordan, the chief of staff for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), who recently completed his five-yearly refresher course.

At the age of 50, Simon has served in the RFA for 29 years. He says that the training provided at HMS Excellent gives him, and his RFA colleagues, a firm grasp of the tasks that could face them at sea in times of emergency.

‘There is a mandatory requirement for all RFA personnel to undertake the course that

I’ve just completed — the BSSC — every five years. The BSSC comprises damage control, fire-fighting and sea-survival training,’ explained Simon.

‘I last did the course when I was 45 and I’m now 50. I’m pleased to say I feel fitter now than when I did it before! So it’s probably more a tribute to the house that I’m renovating and the lawn I’m mowing than anything else.’

Simon was one of around 30 RFA personnel on the course, which sees people of all ages and all levels of experience pitching in together to get to the standard

expected of them.

Waxing lyrical about the equipment, Simon was impressed by what he saw, and said that the professionalism and expertise of staff ensure no one is left struggling.

‘The equipment is second to none,’ he added. ‘It’s extremely similar to the real thing. They get to list the Damage Repair and Instructional Unit at different angles while you are training.

‘The lights go off and there’s smoke. It’s extremely realistic and generates a bit of urgency.

‘I’m the damage control officer onboard,

so it’s in my interest to know that if I’m sending a fire team to go and do something, they and I know that it’s something I can do myself.’

With half a decade to go before he next has to undertake the training, Simon is fairly confident that age won’t prove a barrier to him when his time comes around again.

‘I don’t do a lot of sport, but I’m pretty happy with my fitness. I’m sure when I’m 55 I’ll be fine, and I’d hope also when I’m 60 it should be OK. I’ve got a couple more courses to complete before I hit retirement age, and I look forward to being back here for them.’

22/03/2017 18:23

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

BRIBERY There’s a widely held view in the shipping industry that bribery is just a reality we have to live with.

But not everyone agrees, and many operators are now joining forces in an attempt to combat corruption around the world. ANDREW LININGTON reports...

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Are you fed up with handing over cigarettes in the Suez Canal, cash in South American ports, and food and provisions to local officials in West Africa? Well, help is at hand for shipmasters and officers wanting to take a stand against bribery and ‘facilitation’ payments.

The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) is leading the shipping industry’s attempts to eliminate corruption in the maritime sector and stamp out demands for illegal incentives or threats to disrupt the operations of ships.

Launched in 2012, the network now has more than 75 companies on its membership list — including major operators such as BP Shipping, Carnival, Maersk, Shell and Vroon — working together to promote good corporate practice and to create awareness of the challenges facing the industry.

‘Corruption is a menace around the world and has a big effect on shipping,’ says MACN chair Sam Megwa, a former seafarer who now works as BP Shipping’s strategy, risk and compliance manager.

‘MACN has a lot of evidence about the problems, and we are trying to tackle it within the industry by promoting a culture of compliance with the laws,’ he adds. ‘We can’t do it on our own; we have to work with others in the industry.’

Mr Megwa has first-hand experience of the problem from his time at sea and, as an example of the challenges facing shipmasters and officers, he cites a case, which was reported by a member of MACN, in which the captain of a fully-laden ship ‘in a key choke point’ refused to make a payment to a pilot. ‘The pilot threatened to ground the ship unless he got the payment he

Angie Farrag-Thibault, BSR’s programme director of MACN

27_bribery_SR edit rev.indd 27

no’ campaign over facilitation payments. ‘The campaign has decreased the frequency of demands for payments and has made it easier for captains to say no,’ it says. ‘Pilots are also reported to be less aggressive and more forthcoming. As a next step, MACN is preparing a full launch of the project.’

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The Nigerian port of Lagos, one of the locations where a concerted effort is being made to tackle corruption

A new way through Marlboro Highway demanded,’ he said. ‘What would you do if you were in the position of that captain?’

MACN was established after talks between a number of shipping companies who recognised that shipmasters were often being placed in invidious positions in which their ships could suffer long and costly delays — and the crew’s personal safety could even be threatened.

‘Corruption has historically been a prominent feature in the maritime industry,’ Mr Megwa notes. ‘To this day, when arriving or leaving port, captains can face the prospect of harassment, long and expensive delays, and other issues if they do not make small payments of cash, cigarettes, alcohol, or other cheap items.’

However, he warns, companies are facing increasing pressure to stamp out such practices — and those that continue to make ‘facilitation’ payments are at risk of falling foul of more stringent legislation, such as the 2010 UK Bribery Act. From the outset, MACN has taken a collective approach to combatting corruption — drawing on its members’ experiences to identify problem ports and problem areas and to develop shared strategies for tackling the threat to the industry.

In practice, this has seen MACN acting on the evidence collated by its members, conducting corruption risk assessments with relevant local partners and identifying ways in which the identified problems can be overcome.

There is no single solution, MACN points out, and its approach to the problem varies from place to place and depending on the nature of the challenges.

Strategies have included training for shipmasters and officers on how they can resist demands and threats in a range of different scenarios, along with advice on what to do and who to contact.

‘We recognise the enormous difficulty that shipmasters and

officers face when they receive demands for facilitation payments,’ Angie Farrag-Thibault, BSR’s programme director of MACN, says. ‘The power of collective action and collaboration is that shipping companies and captains can feel that their counterparts are going to respond in the same way, and that they won’t be on their own — that a collective pressure will be brought to bear on those making the demands.

‘The other point is that, through MACN, we are tackling the other side of bribery — the demand. We realise that while it is vital for captains to be able to say no, it’s also vital to work with stakeholders to reduce the number of demands (and eventually eliminate them). That’s why we’re working with port authorities and other stakeholders to put in place systems and policies that will lead to a reduction in the number of demands — making life easier for captains.’

J

A key aim is to combat the systemic issues and root causes of corruption, and MACN has developed collective action projects in developing countries, addressing both the supply and demand side of bribes and facilitation payments.

‘We help local port authorities to deal with corruption in their area,’ said Mr Megwa, ‘and we do this through things like capacitybuilding, standard operating procedures for vessel clearance, and establishing complaint mechanisms.

‘We have been successful and have made headway in tacking corruption in some of the worst areas,’ he added.

So far, MACN has initiated and conducted collective action projects in Nigeria, Indonesia, Egypt and Argentina. In Nigeria, following a corruption risk assessment conducted by the Technical Unit on Governance & Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR)

and project–managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the recommended actions for improvement were face-to-face

integrity training, the harmonisation of regulations and the establishment of grievance mechanisms.

In Egypt, MACN piloted a ‘say

Work in Indonesia, which has been supported by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, has addressed ambiguous and undefined laws and regulations where requests for facilitation payments are made without a clear legal basis, as well as improving container-tracking IT systems and integrating whistleblowing into existing procedures.

In Argentina, MACN managed to secure new and revised regulations for surveying vessel holds, and for customs inspections of ships, following complaints of demands for payments and gratuities from government officials.

‘Working collectively, we believe we can achieve our goal of an industry free of corruption,’ Mr Megwa said, ‘building a culture of integrity across all aspects of shipping and ports, and enhancing collective action to drive sustainable change in the operating environment.’ g MACN is a membership network facilitated by BSR — a global non-profit organisation that works with its network of more than 250 member companies and other partners to build a just and sustainable world. g Join the bribery debate: see Your letters, page 16.

Supporting Supporting the Past

serving seafarers Since 1917 Seafarers UK has supported serving seafarers across the Merchant Navy, Fishing Fleets, Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

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22/03/2017 18:05

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

HISTORIC SHIPS

Maritime miniatures The makers of a new range of collectable model ships are hoping to achieve an unusually high level of fidelity to the original vessels. SARAH ROBINSON hears how the process works…

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Historical inaccuracy in the arts can be exasperating. Why isn’t anyone in that early 20th century TV drama wearing a hat?

Shouldn’t those Victorian houses be covered in soot? And those old leather suitcases are obviously empty! Once you start noticing things like this, it can really get in the way of your enjoyment — particularly if you know a lot about the subject.

Take model ships. There’s so much to get right when scaling down a historic vessel for display in an enthusiast’s cabinet. The lines of the ship, the proportions, the colours… There are some exacting consumers in the maritime community, and no nautical model-maker wants to bring out a new work to a collective rolling of eyes.

To avoid this fate, one company making collectable model ships has gone to some trouble with its new range of classic ocean liners — from obtaining original blueprints to engaging a historian. With over 50 published history books to his name, Gordon Williamson worked previously with Atlas Editions on a collection of model submarines, and is now the historical consultant for Atlas’s Legendary Ocean Liners series.

‘I’m mostly a military historian, with a particular passion for U-boats and other submarines,’ he says, ‘but I had started to develop an interest in the great ocean liners because I kept coming across them being used as troop ships and hospital ships in wartime. They’ve been there since the Boer War, and were even used in the Falklands.’

As well as being an experienced researcher, Gordon had another talent to offer the model-makers: as a young man, he completed an apprenticeship as

To make things interesting, we’ll consider showing the liners as hospital ships or in their dazzle paint

“

”

a draughtsman in a factory making metal machine parts. ‘I got to know what would work in the die-cast moulds and what wouldn’t,’ he explains, ‘and that’s very useful to me in the projects I’m doing with Atlas.’

For example, when a small model ship is produced at the standard scale of 1 : 1,250, there’s just no way of including the rigging. ‘Any ropes, metal cables or even railings would be microscopically thin — the machines couldn’t do it, and they’d be almost invisible anyway.’

So sometimes the trick with producing a good

model is to give the viewer a satisfactory impression of what would be there at full scale, rather than attempting to shrink every component, but it’s still very important to be as accurate as possible, and Gordon takes great care with this.

‘When I’m working on a ship model with Atlas,’ he explains, ‘we always try to get hold of the original blueprints produced by the naval architect, and Atlas will use those to make a 3D computer model of the vessel. Meanwhile, I’ll be going to libraries and searching the internet to find as many pictures as I can of the vessel from different angles and with different liveries. Auction sites are useful, as they often have bundles of old photos and postcards to buy.’

Then, he says, it’s a question of ‘study, study, study’, as he compares the computer model to how the ship really looked, and tells the Atlas designers about the adjustments needed.

He will also advise on the correct colours to use when painting a vessel, and will help Atlas decide on the period in the ship’s history that will be depicted.

‘If we’ve got two ships in the series with a fairly similar design,’ he points out, ‘we think the collectors might like to see them looking distinct from each other, so we’ll have one painted in company livery and the other shown as it was during its time as a hospital ship, or perhaps with its First World War dazzle patterns. But people will also get to see what the vessels looked like at other times, because we put a range of photos in the history booklets I write to accompany the models.’

K

For the Legendary Ocean Liners series, Atlas Editions has chosen the Titanic as the first model to be released — which is predictable but understandable, given that this is the most famous liner of all time. Other models in the pipeline include the Queen Mary, the Lusitania and the Great Eastern, with vessels from outside the UK also being considered, such as the France and the Wilhelm Gustloff. The idea is to release one a month, with the Titanic at a special introductory price and future models selling for £14.99.

Obviously, it remains to be seen whether the maritime audience think the recreated liners are up to scratch, but as a historian, Gordon Williamson certainly thinks they’re worth a look. ‘I know I’m biased, but I do think Atlas do a good job with these die-cast models,’ he says. ‘For one thing, they show the full hull rather than just depicting the vessels above the waterline as some other model-makers do. I’ve enjoyed being involved in the project, and I hope the collectors will enjoy the ships too.’

g The Legendary Ocean Liners collection is available at www.atlaseditions.co.uk

Left: The model-makers at Atlas Editions always try to obtain a vessel’s original blueprints, like this design for the Lusitania, to help them construct their small-scale replicas

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22/03/2017 18:02

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

MEMBERS AT WORK

Second mate overboard!

Stan McNally on watch in the radio room

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Reading Trevor Boult’s ‘Ships of the past’ article about the Mayflower II in the March Telegraph brought it all back. At the same time as Mayflower II was sailing across the Atlantic, we on the Monarch Steamship Company vessel British Monarch had our own dramatic event in the Pacific.

It was 9 June 1957, and we were on our way to Japan from Cuba with a cargo of soya beans when, following a brief search after my breakfast, I realised our second mate — Doug Wardrop — was missing.

He had missed his breakfast, which was usually with me, he had not drunk his morning tea and his bed looked like it had been unoccupied. Also, the chronometer had not been wound (a logging offence).

The third mate was the watchkeeper and was unable to leave the bridge when I informed him of my worries, so it was up to me — Stan McNally, radio officer — to break it to Captain William Coutts, our master.

I met him outside his cabin and quickly informed him of the situation. He immediately called out all hands (it was Sunday) and a full search of the ship was carried out. This was completed by 9am. The second mate had last been seen at 4am when relieved by the mate. He was now five hours astern of our position.

The ship was quickly turned and it was now our

Former radio officer STAN McNALLY, a one-time member of the Union’s Council, tells how an article in last month’s Telegraph brought back memories of a dramatic rescue 60 years ago…

4am position course we headed for. We sent messages to the local area informing them of our loss, with the 4am position and now. Unfortunately it is not like a bus run — all ships seem to take various courses, so there were no ships within our area, and we were on our own.

The whole ship’s crew not on watch manned all the favourable lookout points hoping to be the one that sighted our second mate. It was soon midday and still no sign. Then Capt Coutts and the mate had a discussion and it was arranged that we altered 6 degrees to starboard to compensate for wind and

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The rescue of Doug Wardrop

current. Little did we realise what a significant thing this was!

At around 1pm the third mate on the monkey island shouted ‘Man swimming on the starboard side’. Sure enough, there was our Doug waving like mad.

The jolly boat was soon launched and our intrepid swimmer was safely back onboard. He climbed the pilot ladder unaided, but collapsed as soon as his feet touched the deck. We were now a complete crew and soon back on track to Japan. We never gave up hope and were euphoric to have him back.

The owners were informed of our loss and recovery and we thought that was that. But that evening’s traffic list had numerous telegrams from all over the world wanting to know what had happened. Capt Coutts tried to put together a story, but I asked if we could not wait to tell the world with the words of the guy who had undergone his ordeal.

This he agreed.

Just 24 hours later, our bionic man was getting to grips again and he was told that the world was waiting to hear his story. His story is fantastic and I don’t want to tell it when it can be read elsewhere. It turned out that he had gone over the side when the ship rolled as he was cleaning the contacts on the log transmitter, which was mounted on a bracket attached to the bulwark.

But what I do want to say is that Doug mentioned how, while he was waiting in the Pacific for our return after falling over the side, his mind turned to many things — such as the reason for being here and the futility of warfare and bloodshed. And, being a Sunday, he had imagined himself joining Captain Villiers and crew for a service onboard the Mayflower II. Being able to remove himself mentally from his dire predicament gave him the inspiration to carry on. Where there is life, there is hope!

This is why the article about Mayflower II brings it all back to me — not that I would ever forget that miracle in the Pacific.

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Whether it be looking for a new book, organising childcare or one of life’s other tasks, Nautilus Plus is there to make the lives of seafarers and their families easier. Offers range from leisure and lifestyle, to insurance and advice. g These Nautilus Plus, member-only offers are here to help you. Have a look at these great deals below and many more by visiting the Nautilus Plus website — nautilusint.org Nautilus Plus — Mortgage advice through Lighthouse Financial Advice Arranging a mortgage can be a challenge for seafarers because of their employment circumstances. The right mortgage can save you hundreds — sometimes thousands — of pounds. Lighthouse can help members make sense of the market, sifting through hundreds of options to find the best mortgage for your unique circumstances*. g For more information, log on to Nautilus Plus or call 08000 85 85 90 and quote Nautilus

Quality childcare at the drop of a hat Nothing matters more than your kids. So when childcare plans fall through at the last minute, it usually means taking a sick day or making an awkward phone call or five. Your new saviour is Emergency Childcare. Their nannies are DBS

checked, vigorously vetted, first aid trained and ready to leap into action across the UK with just 30 minutes’ notice. If you prefer, you can book into an Ofsted registered nursery or childminder*. g For more information, log on to Nautilus Plus or call 0845 676 7699 10% online discount at Foyles.co.uk on ALL titles* With over half a million books available for home delivery or collection in store, Foyles is the home for book lovers on the web. Free delivery is available on all UK orders, and their site boasts a wealth of author interviews and blogs to help you choose your next read. Plus sign up to their Foyalty card to earn points on every purchase and receive exclusive weekly offers and giveaways straight to your inbox. g For more information, log on to Nautilus Plus and enter promotional code NTU13 at the checkout g *Terms and conditions apply to all benefits. See website for details. Offers subject to change without notice. Foyles — A small number of books are restricted from discounts for contractual reasons with the publishers. Discount does not apply to eBooks or gift cards. Lighthouse Mortgage and Financial Advice Limited — Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up payments on your mortgage. There will be a fee payable to Lighthouse Financial Advice for this mortgage service. Other mortgage set up costs will apply as normal. Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited is an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus by Parliament Hill Ltd.

Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus by Parliament Hill Ltd.

29_stan_SR edit.indd 29

22/03/2017 17:22

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

OFFWATCH ships of the past

by Trevor Boult traded in their hundreds, F not only on the River Mersey At one time, Mersey flats

but also the adjacent coastline, as well as the connecting canals and other inland waterways which linked Liverpool with Manchester. The whole surrounding area was embraced, with links to the entire national waterways system.

Flats were the main carriers, under sail alone for generations, until supplemented and eventually superseded by steam and then diesel power. Over the same period, the railway and finally the motor lorry took over most of their trade.

Flats had to operate over a wide range of conditions, from inland waterways to the open sea; lying alongside bigger ships at anchor; in dock or drying out on a tidal mud berth. Always strongly built, their robust carvel hulls and massive scantlings combined good carrying capacity with seaworthiness and sailing capability. Sizes of locks and depths of rivers or canals governed dimensions.

Builders of flats were numerous and widely spread throughout NW England. Even after iron and steel vessels were built, some owners preferred wood because of cheapness, ease of repair and resistance to corrosion by salt cargoes. Several examples achieved more than a century in work. The historic Upper Mersey lightvessel Arthur Sinclair, moored off the north bank at Ditton, was purpose-built along the lines of a flat.

There was no single standard flat, but a range of variations, in size, shape and construction.

They are considered to have evolved from a common flat hull design of ancient lineage, descended from medieval craft.

A flat-bottomed barge was a very efficient vehicle by which

Mersey flats: sturdy servants of industry to carry cargoes to and from up-river wharves, mines and industries.

The versatile hull design could be fitted with several different rigs and propulsion systems. The principal rig was a foresail and high-peaked long gaff mainsail and boom. Of ‘heroic’ proportions, a flat’s sails needed heavy running gear, purchases and winches. Some had masts that could be lowered to pass under fixed bridges.

Sailing these craft tended to be a traditional family calling.

They were hailed as ‘a nonmilitant, decent living body of men’ and were respected members of the community, taking pride in their boats and

jobs. Their masters and crews were adept at working the tides and moving around the crowded docks and small ports and wharves beside the river and along the coast.

Traffic was in three types: short distance lighterage; up-river and canal; and coastal — the last being the least important, although ‘Barrow flat’ schooners were engaged in comparatively long coastal hauls.

Flats carried not just coal and salt, but a whole variety of goods. A chronicler hinted at this by the phrase ‘Groceries, Grain and Gunpowder’. To this could be added: fine Wedgewood for export; imported cocoa, and exotic timbers. ‘Powder hoys’

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book RMS Titanic: Made in the Midlands by Andrew Lound (reviewed on the facing page).

To enter, simply complete the form right and send it, along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph Crossword

Competition, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015.

You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org.

Closing date is Friday 21 April 2017.

QUICK CLUES 1.

4.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

15.

16.

17.

21.

22.

24.

25.

26.

27.

Across News item (6) Monster (6) Tiff (4) Profound (4-6) Volcanic stone (6) Airship (8) German parliament (9) Gorilla king (4) Positive (4) Raincoat (9) Poorly sighted (8) Flounce (6) Figure (10) Ale (4) Persist (6) City (6)

Down 1. Tear (7) 2. Lab dish (5) 3. Compensation (7) 4. Fascinated (6) 6. & 23. Far from drunk (5-4,5) 7. End of the day (7)

30_offwatch_SR edit.indd 30

conveyed gunpowder, ‘sand hookers’ carried fine-grained river sand for Pilkington’s glass makers. Less romantically, also the scented challenges of hides, guano and, in the days before mains sewerage — ‘night soil’.

Sailing flats found employment as bunkering barges, as numbers of steamships increased. Coal was also moved coastwise, to small havens, creeks and open beaches around the Welsh coast as far south as Aberdovey.

The growth in the use of salt for a multitude of purposes domestically was also an important export cargo for ocean traders at Liverpool, largely from Salthouse Dock.

Production of salt depended on a ready supply of coal. Many flats plied a triangular route: salt down to Liverpool for export; general cargo to the Sankey Canal; and with coal back to the River Weaver, where the bulk of the kingdom’s saltworks were situated.

With the onset of steam power and the capacity for towage, many sailing flats were converted to dumb flats. The volume of towage on the Mersey had reached huge proportions by the late 19th century. The opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 gave deepsea ships access to the heart of the industrial North West, causing a reduction in flat activity.

As the 20th century progressed, river and dock lighterage, and coastal traffic all slackened due to competition from road vehicles. Some steamers were converted to diesel in a bid to counter the ascendency of both road transport and Dutch motor coasters. The last true flats ceased trading in the 1960s.

Two examples of traditional flats survive — Oakdale, and Mossdale. Both are subjects for ongoing restoration.

50 YEARS AGO A total of 576 deck and catering ratings are now attending the National Sea Training School at Denton, Gravesend. Opened last year, the school is the largest modern Merchant Navy training establishment in the world and has a target output of 2,800 boys for the industry each year — or two-thirds of those going to sea. Built and equipped at a cost of nearly £1m, the centre was financed by the British Shipping Federation and the Department of Education & Science and replaces two older schools, both built before 1939. The school has 72 staff, all highly qualified former seafarers, and it is a proud boast that few boys have to wait more than a week on leaving the school before they get a ship MN Journal, April 1967

25 YEARS AGO The atrocious conditions endured by far too many of the world’s seafarers were highlighted onboard a ship detained in a British port last month. Port state control inspectors said the conditions onboard the Romanian-flagged general cargoship Roman were the worst they had ever come across. They found that the crew members had suffered scurvy, starvation, dehydration and unpaid wages during a nine-month voyage that came to an end when the 15,000dwt ship was detained at Bristol’s Royal Portbury Docks. Although the vessel was built in 1986, it had suffered a series of breakdowns during the voyage from Romania to Taiwan to Bristol. At one stage, with the turbocharger out of action, the ship was running on its auxiliary engines, with a maximum speed of three knots The Telegraph, April 1992

10 YEARS AGO International salvage experts have raised concerns over the challenges posed by the new generation of ‘mega’ containerships and passenger vessels. A conference in London last month heard that the increasing size of such ships is prompting profound unease about the scale of resources required to deal with an emergency. The International Salvage Union meeting heard that salvors are now having to consider how to deal with the inherent difficulties of dealing with a 12,000TEU-plus containership aground in an exposed location or a cruiseship with more than 5,000 people onboard in a remote part of the world. Hendrik Land, from Svitzer Wijsmuller Salvage, warned of problems in assembling the necessary equipment, such as fire-fighting resources, or in discharging thousands of boxes from a stricken containership.

He said the huge scale of compartmentalisation on large cruiseships will make it difficult to restore watertight integrity The Telegraph, April 2007

THEQUIZ 1

Which country has the largest number of ships’ officers?

2

How many cruiseships are there in the world fleet at present?

3

Italy is the number one cruiseship construction country — what is its share of the global orderbook?

4

How many people travel on ferries in the European Union each year?

5

There are presently 60 16,000TEU-plus containerships in service. How many are on order?

6

In which year did British Railways’ ferry operations become Sealink?

J Quiz answers are on page 38.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

8.

14.

16.

18.

19.

20.

23.

Antipodeans (3,10) Packaging (9) Apply pressure (7) Time off (7) Most proximate (7) Straight (6) (see 6)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1.

4.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Across Hastily typed print going about university gets to the root (6) Rest of ropes tangled up with last of jute (6) Perform vocals in second half of pressing (4) Flat out against skyline with an endless story to tell (10) Left Mister Jolson at the gate (6) Period when flower of Footlights home preceded Monty Python biography (8) Addled brain and a bad liar, but expects many timely returns (9)

Membership No.:

15. Footwear, get away you hear me ... (4) 16. ... and put a thump in it (4) 17. Artistes in various states of dishabille might be for removing the paint (9) 21. No garden can turn out male hormone booster (8) 22. Section of orchestra can make something of a racket (6) 24. Vote teller mixed up in amorous correspondence (4,6) 25. In a word, apparent absence of international peacekeepers (4) 26. Buffet is held to bring out hidden charm (6) 27. Cleric can be a nuisance about religious instruction, initially (6)

Down Expedition ends with oil blend set for African port (7) 2. Not left as an entitlement (5) 3. Trendy and heartier breathing aid (7) 1.

5. European Commission and tangled maze regarding skin ailment (6) 6. Possession as proprietor goes on vessel (9) 7. Stem from the orient and fellow had meal (7) 8. A prince to star in review, think about it (13) 14. Repeatedly having to do with present (9) 16. Farewell do, a red card would be appropriate (4-3) 18. Lloyds, for example, batting and positive 2 to the end (7) 19. Somehow learnt about uranium in French car (7) 20. ‘And lastly, his --- out of the world, is nobody knows where’ (John Edwin) (6) 23. A different siren at end of wash cycle (5) J Crossword answers are on page 38.

22/03/2017 15:34

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

MARITIME BOOKS

Another angle on the endless Titanic story RMS Titanic: Made in the Midlands

By Andrew Lound The History Press, £17.99 ISBN: 978 07509 67051 fwww.thehistorypress.co.uk Edward Smith was born in the Staffordshire K town of Hanley (now part of the city of Stoke-

Whilst many may know that Titanic’s captain

on-Trent), fewer people may be aware that the English Midlands played a significant role in the construction of the doomed vessel.

Although the Titanic was built in Belfast, registered in Liverpool and sailed from Southampton, the Midlands region contributed around 70% of its interiors. As noted in RMS Titanic: Made in the Midlands, this was a time when the British shipbuilding business was so

P&O Ferries: a household name with a rich history P&O 180 — the history of P&O Ferries Edited by Miles Cowsill & Dan Bridgett Lily Publications, £19.95 ISBN: 978 19112 68031 fwww.ferrypubs.co.uk

K

This year marks the 180th anniversary of the founding of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and this lavishly illustrated book has been produced to focus on the way its original services to Spain and Portugal developed over the years into the ferry operator of today.

Tracing the story back to the company’s roots in the 1820s, the 98-page publication makes good use of the excellent resources available at P&O Heritage and includes some marvellous old posters and other archive material.

The book races through the times when P&O operations spanned cargo and passenger shipping — at one time boasting an owned fleet of some 500 ships. And it deals in barely the space of a page with the boardroom manoeuvrings which saw the group restructured and eventually broken up.

Instead, the authors concentrate on the complex chains of ferry firms and routes that went to make up P&O Ferries, including the shortlived P&O Stena Line operation.

There’s some fascinating stuff about buccaneering characters such as Otto Thoresen and Frank Bustard, who transformed the nature of ferry services in the UK, and the book gives a strong impression of the remarkable changes in the network of routes over the past 50 years, as

31_books_SR edit.indd 31

strong that the supply chain had to be spread across the whole of the nation.

Author — and former curator of the Avery Historical Museum — Andrew Lound has done much to research the relationship between the Midlands and Titanic, and his book pays homage to the industrial heritage of that landlocked part of Britain.

Combining pictures and text, the author explains the wider context around British shipbuilding in the early part of the 20th century and explores the role played by the people and the varied industries of the Black Country. Chapter Two, for instance, centres on the production of the ship’s anchor. Created by Netherton-based Noah Hingley & Sons, the 16-ton anchor took a dozen men three weeks to make and was transported to the railway station by a team of 20 horses. The firm

well as the underlying factors — such as traffic trends, the Channel tunnel, port infrastructures and economic fluctuations — which fuelled these developments.

The book also highlights the similarly shifting ship types used for the services, noting the move from the 1960s lift-on/lift-off operations to ro-ros and fast craft. Whilst it is fairly circumspect about the loss of the Northern Isles services, it is frank about some of its failures — including the problems on the Liverpool-Dublin route at the end of the 1990s.

A chapter based around an interview with fleet director John Garner gives some hints about the future for the company — including the likely impact of Brexit — and makes it clear that this is a story that is far from over.

Interesting images of our forebears in a familiar place Portsmouth Dockyard Through Time

By Philip MacDougall Amberley, £14.99

was also responsible for the cable chain — 165 fathoms long per anchor.

Over the remaining 11 chapters, Andrew Lound looks at other aspects of the ship’s equipment and interior — ranging from the china and plates used by the first-class passengers to the whistles blown to signify the evacuation.

As well as covering the career of Capt Smith, the book also notes some of the other crew who hailed from the Midlands, and it finishes quite aptly with an epilogue reflecting on the lasting impact of the disaster and the reaction from the area to the loss of its residents in the cold-dark waters, rs, as Titanic disappeared below the depths.

Well presented, the book serves as a powerful reminder of the scope of industry Britain once had

ISBN: 978 14456 63982 fwww.amberley-books.com

— such as when one paragraph is followed by another starting with almost the same sentence. But it is overall an enjoyable book with some fascinating insights, and it will particularly be enjoyed by those familiar with the area.

Amberley’s popular Through K Time series turns its attention this

Now over 800 volumes strong,

month to one of Britain’s most famous ports. Portsmouth Dockyard Through Time is, true to form, a picture history of the author’s local area, using a fine collection of images to recount the recent history of Portsmouth Dockyard from the 19th century to the present day.

It is a little disappointing that the Portsmouth book doesn’t feature as many ‘then and now’ pictures as other works in the series, because there is something very satisfying about a direct comparison of old and new photographs taken on the same spot. But there are some interesting images nonetheless, showing both Royal Navy and civilian uses of the docks.

The pictures include views of famous vessels built at the dockyard such as HMS Dreadnought, as well as key structures and significant events.

Queen Victoria can be seen at one point embarking on a crossing to her holiday home on the Isle of Wight — a procedure which happened so frequently that a special Royal Shelter was built as a kind of dockside waiting room. It was also used for the arrival of other royals such as

and how many different places and people came together to build what would be an unforgettable — and disastrous — maiden voyage.

Two essential texts for a career move to surveying the German Kaiser, and as the book shows, the shelter can still be seen, albeit in a different location.

Friendly visits by the French and Japanese naval fleets (in peacetime) are captured, and we see workers engaged in shipbuilding and dock work at various times. Looking more closely at the port’s buildings, we are shown striking images of the great fire of 1913, the ruins it created and the replacement structures.

As far as the accompanying text is concerned, a little more attention from the Amberley editors would have been welcome, as it is densely laid out in a small font size and there are sometimes clunky moments

Marine Surveying and Consultancy — An Introduction Marine Warranty Surveying — An Introduction

By Mike Wall US$99.00 plus P&P each, Self-published ISBN: 978 61624 92284 ISBN: 978 61624 92154 fmikewallassociates@gmail.com as a marine surveyor and K consultant — including commercial With 30 years of service

and public sector work — former chief engineer officer Mike Wall is well placed to produce these guides for those considering following in his footsteps.

Charming tale of a maritime adventure Mediterranean: A Year Around a Charmed and Troubled Sea

By Huw Kingston Whittles Publishing, £19.99 ISBN: 978 18499 52743 f www.whittlespublishing.com

K

On 26 April 2014, Huw Kingston set off from the Anzac Cove at Gallipoli, Turkey, on a challenging journey. It would be the start of a year-long trip that would see him taking in the sights of some of Europe and northern Africa’s most stunning coastlines — from Greece and Croatia to Morocco and Tunisia.

The story of that trip — illustrated with photographs and charts — now forms the engaging and insightful book Mediterranean: A Year Around a Charmed and Troubled Sea. Whilst not entirely a sea-going trip — large parts were either cycled or walked — it’s a story of enthusiasm for the Mediterranean and the sheer willpower it took to complete the circular route whilst

overcoming its many challenges.

This charming book also gives a beautifully written account of the people the author met along the way, and paints a picture of the wonderful landscapes he encountered. The chapters correspond to the months of Kingston’s travels: charting his course, he explains some of the trials he encounters, such as the time he rowed the 1,500km journey to Turkey with a young Slovenian adventurer in tow — this despite never having rowed in his life!

Huw Kingston has spent the best part of three decades undertaking super-human journeys over the world. This particular adventure allowed him to raise funds for the children of war-torn Syria — in the process becoming Save the Children Australia’s highest-ever individual fundraiser.

He says his reason for being is the phrase ‘making it possible’ and this book is a wonderful example of the steely determination that sees him pick his end-point and move heaven and earth to reach it.

With extensive experience of producing training materials, he also has the knack of making stuff simple — and he does this to good effect here. With carefully crafted text, he explains everything right from the basics without sacrificing interest or appearing patronising.

There are many types of surveyor, and both guides go into the complex nature of the profession and the special skills and experience demanded by the different disciplines, as well as the fuzzy dividing lines between some of them.

Wall provides lots of useful tips about how to get started, set operating principles and manage your finances. He also offers advice on how to make the transition from marine surveyor to marine consultant, or how to specialise in accident investigation and expert witness work.

The warranty surveying title delivers great insight into the remarkable range of this particular role, with some fascinating background about the evolution of marine insurance and the many areas of overlap between the warranty surveyor and other parties.

It also includes some important material about liability, standard of care, professional indemnity and terms and conditions of service.

Both books form part of a four-strong series covering all aspects of marine surveying, with the remaining volumes providing detailed advice on report writing and how to run a marine survey company. Well indexed and with glossaries of specialist terms and handy references for further reading, they provide the ‘go-to’ point for anyone thinking about making the move into this important area of the maritime profession.

22/03/2017 18:03

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NL NEWS In this month’s Dutch pages:

z Stena Line CBA and pension meeting

z FNV Waterbouw seminar

z New FNV chairman: Han Busker

z Launch of international rivercruise

maritime professionals

z Nautilus on RAZ/RTO/RTK z Open door and school visit to Maritime Academy Harlingen

16 mei 2017 F De rol van de OR bij (voorgenomen) 10e Nautilus OR-Contactdag:

reorganisaties STC Rotterdam Training- en simulatorencentrum

z Nautilus Women’s day on May 17

z Open letter to minister Asscher

z P&O CBA meetings

Wilhelminakade 701 09.30 uur: Start 16.30 Borrel ter afsluiting — in: Hotel New York! g Meer informatie en inschrijving, via: jhilberding@nautilusint.org

Handleiding voor het veilig werken aan boord De nieuwe versie van

Scheepvaart.

De handleiding voor het veilig werken aan boord. Bestemd voor

same values

z Nautilus delegation on ETF seminar

Volg ons op Twitter

‘Dat is juist! is klaar. Een A handzame uitgave van de Stichting

z Dutch inspection and Nautilus share

z Launch of Nautilus animation

z Piracy Bill to Parliament

medewerkers in de koopvaardij en zeevisserij. g Tevens is er een digitale versie van ‘Dat is juist!’ beschikbaar www.azvz.nl/?pagina= 440&menu=251&GID=1

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat de scheepvaartwereld iets kan leren over veiligheid in de luchtvaart industrie?

Ja 73% Nee 27%

Drukbezochte ledenvergadering nieuwe Stena Line cao

A

De Stena Line cao is op 31 maart 2017 verlopen. Cao-partijen komen daarom dit voorjaar bijeen om te praten over een nieuwe ondernemings-cao bij Stena Line. Nautilus bestuurder en cao-onderhandelaar Marcel van Dam: ‘Daarom hadden we ook op 14 februari een ledenbijeenkomst georganiseerd op de Stena Hollandica in Hoek van Holland. Want om goed voorbereid over een nieuwe cao te kunnen gaan onderhandelen, zijn het natuurlijk de leden die uiteindelijk bepalen met welke voorstellen we de onderhandelingen ingaan. Belangrijke uitgangspunten zijn een loonsverhoging van 2,5% per jaar, een structurele bijdrage in de zorgverzekering, verlenging van de sociale begeleidingsregeling en we willen ook de kapiteins opnemen in de nieuwe cao. De onderhandelingen bij Stena Line zullen naar verwachting in mei/juni plaatsvinden.’

Pensioendiscussie

Marcel van Dam: ‘Tevens hebben we op deze bijeenkomst aangegeven dat we bij de gemaakte keuze in het kader van het pensioenakkoord de leden vroegtijdiger in de besluitvorming hadden moeten betrekken.

Ten onrechte is als vanzelfsprekend aangenomen dat de aanpassing van het partnerpensioen een gedragen keuze zou zijn.

In 2018 gaan we met elkaar kijken of er wellicht andere keuzes dienen te worden gemaakt. Dit uiteraard in overleg met alle leden in de koopvaardij en met onze sociale partners. Het goede nieuws is dat de rente weer wat aan het stijgen is de laatste maanden, zodat de druk op de premie weer wat zou kunnen afnemen. Want door de lage rente is er voor iedere euro pensioenopbouw gewoonweg meer geld nodig.’

32-35_nl.indd 32

Informatiebijeenkomst Bedrijfspensioenfonds Koopvaardij

Voorafgaand aan de Nautilus ledenvergadering had het BPF Koopvaardij een informatiebijeenkomst georganiseerd, met als doel het vergroten van inzicht in de wijzigingen in de pensioenregeling per 1 januari 2017. Dit naar aanleiding van het protest dat Stena Line werknemers over het genomen besluit inzake de wijziging van het partnerpensioen hebben afgegeven.

Kapitein Bert van der Vliet van de Stena Hollandica, die het door ruim 100 zeevarenden ondertekende protest naar de vakbond stuurde, stelde na de bijeenkomst ‘tevreden te zijn met de uitleg en de ‘time out’ voor dit jaar’.

Informatiebijeenkomst P&O

Op donderdag 6 april zal er door het BPF Koopvaardij aan boord van de Pride of Rotterdam in Hull voor de P&O medewerkers een informatiebijeenkomst over de wijzigingen in de pensioenregeling per 1 januari 2017 worden gegeven.

Ook zal BPF Koopvaardij in de loop van dit jaar nog 3 bijeenkomsten in den lande organiseren voor deelnemers waar dit onderwerp ook aan de orde zal komen.

g Toelichting nieuwe regels partnerpensioen: https://nautilusint.org/ nl/wat-we-zeggen/nautilus-nieuws/ toelichting-nieuwe-regels-partnerpensioen/

Nieuwe ETF River Cruise campagne start op 5 april de Europese River Cruise A campagne van start in Amsterdam.

Op woensdag 5 april gaat

De poll van deze maand is: Denkt u dat de scheepvaartindustrie meer gebruik zou moeten maken van wind voortstuwing technologie? Geef ons uw mening online, op nautilusint.org/nl

INTERNATIONAL

campaign

z Nautilus symposium: investing in

Een internationale ETF campagne van Europese transportbonden en Nautilus International voor meer loon en betere werkomstandigheden.

Tal van aangemeerde River Cruise

schepen zullen worden bezocht en onder de passagiers zullen flyers worden uitgedeeld om aandacht te vragen voor deze slechte werkomstandigheden.

Europese hart

Gelijktijdig wordt er deze gehele week

campagne gevoerd rondom River Cruise schepen in: België, Frankrijk, Duitsland, Tsjechië, Bulgarije en Zwitserland.

Amsterdam staat bekend als het Europese hart en opstappunt van de River Cruise sector.

Nautilus Binnenvaart bestuurder

Carl Kraijenoord (rechts op de foto): ‘De personeelsleden (nautische bemanning en hotel-, restauranten catering personeel) krijgen te maken met steeds meer onzekerheid over lonen en arbeidsvoorwaarden.

Deze vorm van sociale dumping moet zo spoedig mogelijk stoppen’.

22/03/2017 15:36

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

NL NEWS

Nautilus Animatie ‘Echte Banen in de scheepvaart’ scoort goed heeft een Animatie laten F maken over het grote belang Nautilus International

van de scheepvaart voor onze samenleving. Maar weinig mensen weten dat maar liefst 90% van alles wat we consumeren, gebruiken en dragen van overzee komt. Zonder scheepvaart zou de import en export van betaalbaar voedsel en goederen niet mogelijk zijn.

En zonder goed opgeleide en vakbekwame zeevarenden, met goede arbeidsvoorwaarden, zou de scheepvaart sector niet kunnen overleven.

Daarom kiest Nautilus International voor Echte Banen in de Scheepvaart. Nu en in de toekomst.

Deze animatie is bedoeld om zowel de politiek als het grote publiek hiervan (meer) bewust te maken.

Al meer dan 30.000 views.

Inmiddels (medio maart) telt de Nautilus International Facebookpagina, met de Animatie, al meer dan 30.000 views en blijven de overwegend positieve reacties binnenstromen.

Heeft u de Animatie al gezien? g www.youtube/HXcrr7fkWSQ Veel kijkplezier.

Stop de race naar beneden: Gelijk Europees speelveld noodzakelijk! er natuurlijk achter. De praktijk is echter weerbarstig. Nadat ik hierover met een lid van de Europese Commissie had gesproken, beloofde deze mij binnenkort een uitnodiging te sturen om mijn standpunt hierover een keer toe te komen lichten.

Marko Šuljić, student aan de Rijeka Nautical Academy in Kroatië stelde dat ‘veel jonge Kroaten dromen van een mooie baan in de zeevaart, waarvoor ze ook worden opgeleid.

Maar helaas kunnen veel gediplomeerde jonge Kroaten al jarenlang geen stageplek en baan vinden, waardoor ze teleurgesteld de sector verlaten.’

A

‘Nautilus International strijdt voor meer Echte Banen in de scheepvaart.

We hebben daarom ook in Europa een beter en eerlijker geregelde scheepvaartwereld nodig. Met goede leef- en arbeidsvoorwaarden voor alle werknemers.

Dat stelde Nautilus International General Secretary Mark Dickinson in zijn openingsspeech tijdens het eind februari door de ETF georganiseerde seminar ‘Seafarers Matter’, dat tijdens de Europese Scheepvaart Week in Brussel plaatsvond.

‘Als ETF en Nautilus vinden wij dat alle bekende vormen van sociale dumping gestopt moeten worden en dat we met de reders en met de Europese Commissie moeten werken aan een eerlijk en gelijk speelveld. We moeten stoppen met deze ‘race naar beneden’ en beter nog moeten we deze ontwikkeling zien om te buigen naar een ’race naar boven’, aldus Mark Dickinson.

Menselijke factor

Moderne slavernij en uitvlaggen

Henk Eijkenaar nam tevens deel aan het door de Europese reders, waaronder ook de KVNR, georganiseerde seminar over ‘Putting Short Sea Shipping 2.0’. Henk Eijkenaar: ‘Het was interessant maar wel echt een werkgeversevenement, want ik vond met name de menselijke factor behoorlijk ontbreken. Er werd veel gesproken over kosten, investeringen en schepen en niet of nauwelijks over de mensen die op de schepen werkzaam zijn. Eén van de onderwerpen betrof het Ballastwater management. Het gaat hier niet alleen om geld investeren, maar het is vaak niet duidelijk welke uitrusting door de diverse landen wordt geaccepteerd, daar de regels verschillend worden geïnterpreteerd.

Ook de financiering ervan vormt een probleem, omdat je nogal eens ziet dat nieuwe eigenaren het schip op andere vaarroutes gaan inzetten, met andere regels, waardoor de investering niet terugverdiend kan worden.’

Nautilus delegatie

de cao-onderhandelingen F inmiddels volop aan de gang.

Bij P&O North Sea Ferries zijn

De eerste cao-ronde vond plaats op 20 februari en de tweede op 13 maart.

Op 27 maart vindt de derde cao-ronde plaats bij Nautilus op kantoor (na publicatie van dit nummer).

Nautilus bestuurders en caoonderhandelaars Marcel van Dam en Maarten Keuss worden tijdens de onderhandelingen bijgestaan door Nautilus kaderleden.

Kaderleden zijn vakbondsleden die zich — samen met de bond — actief inzetten voor het collectief (zoals afspreken van betere loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden).

Speerpunten

De leden hebben drie speerpunten voor de nieuwe tweejarige cao (2017–2018) benoemd.

Dit zijn: z een fatsoenlijke loonsverhoging z een goede ouderenregeling z de sociale begeleidingsregeling (SBR) verlengen.

Bij P&O Ferries werken ruim 200 Nederlandse zeevarenden in vaste dienst. Zij varen op de: z Pride of Rotterdam: tussen Europoort en Hull (UK) z Pride of Bruges: tussen Zeebrugge (België) en Hull (UK) z Norbank: tussen Liverpool (UK) en Dublin (Ierland)

Wij hebben Facebook.

Volg ons ook!

Bezoek www.nautilusint.org

32-35_nl.indd 33

van de Southampton Solent Universiteit gaf in zijn presentatie een messcherpe analyse over de ‘toestand in de moderne scheepvaartwereld’. Zo toonde hij op basis van goed gedocumenteerde gegevens dat duizenden zeevarenden, werkzaam op 10-15% van ’s werelds schepen, in feite in een moderne vorm van slavernij verkeren. Werkzaam onder minimale veiligheidsvoorwaarden, met zeer lange werktijden, waarvoor ze niet of nauwelijks betaald krijgen, met ook nauwelijks genoeg te eten en te drinken. Ook gaf hij aan dat de steeds grotere drang tot ‘uitvlaggen’ bij veel reders, gedreven door vooral korte termijn winstdoelstellingen, uiteindelijk bijna altijd leidt tot de onvermijdelijke race naar beneden qua arbeids- en leef omstandigheden.

ETF oproep tot ‘eerlijke scheepvaart’

Namens Nautilus waren naast Mark Dickinson ook Nautilus bestuurder Sascha Meijer(2e van links op de foto) , communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie en Nautilus Council lid, kapitein Henk Eijkenaar (5e van links op de foto), aanwezig.

Cao-onderhandelingen bij P&O Ferries volop aan de gang

Prof (Capt.) Syamantak Bhattacharya

Extra administratieve rompslomp

‘Ook werd er veel gesproken over het zogenaamde ‘One Window’ systeem voor haven- en vracht documenten. Als dit systeem voor ons als kapiteins uiteindelijk minder administratieve rompslomp betekent, sta ik

Philippe Alfonso, ETF Political Secretary for Maritime Transport, deed tenslotte namens de Europese zeevarenden en de door hen vertegenwoordigde bonden, zoals Nautilus, een oproep aan de Europese Commissie voor het bevorderen van ‘Eerlijke Scheepvaart’.

Han Busker gekozen tot nieuwe voorzitter FNV ‘Het is de tijd van de FNV’

Han Busker is 10 maart gekozen tot nieuwe voorzitter van de FNV. In een ledenraadpleging spraken bijna 75.000 FNV-leden hun steun uit voor Han Busker, dat is 97 % van de opkomst. Het Ledenparlement — het hoogste orgaan van de FNV — heeft de voordracht bekrachtigd.

‘Ik ben blij met de steun van de leden. De komende jaren moet er veel gebeuren. Het is de tijd van de FNV. Er valt veel te winnen voor de vakbond. Ik wil dat werkenden weer schitteren en trots zijn op hun vakmanschap, dat mensen op een gezonde manier tot hun pensioen kunnen werken, er genoeg koopkracht is voor mensen die werken, willen werken en gewerkt hebben. Met meer dan een miljoen FNV-leden wil ik voor goede sociale zekerheid en echte banen knokken’, zegt Han Busker.

Busker begon zijn loopbaan bij de marechaussee. In 2008 werd hij voorzitter van politiebond NPB. Daar leidde hij in 2015 de langste politiestaking in de geschiedenis,

met als resultaat ruim 5 procent loonsverhoging.

Meteen lid geworden

Sinds 2016 zit Busker in het dagelijks bestuur van de FNV. Busker: ‘Ik werd meteen lid van de vakbond toen ik bij de marechaussee begon. Ik heb al snel geleerd dat je zonder bond niets voor elkaar krijgt. Het is belangrijk dat

méér mensen daarvan doordrongen zijn’. Bij zijn installatie deed Busker een oproep aan de FNV-leden om op 15 maart te kiezen voor echte banen.

‘Laat je niet misleiden. Veel politici willen elke dag scoren met mooie praatjes in talkshows. Maar als je goed kijkt, leiden hun plannen alleen maar tot onzekerheid. Over hun verborgen boodschap hoor je ze niet.

Partijen aan de rechterkant willen dat de flex nog verder doorslaat, richten hun pijlen op het cao-bestel, op de vakantietoeslag van mensen in de bijstand, en willen verslechteringen van de pensioenen. De gevolgen zijn enorm. Je ziet nu al dat er veel kinderen in armoede opgroeien door het toenemend aantal pulpbanen.

Belangrijk dus dat mensen zich informeren.’

Han Busker is gekozen tot voorzitter voor de periode 2017-2021.

In totaal hebben 81.832 leden zich uitgesproken in de ledenraadpleging.

In het verleden waren het maar een paar honderd FNV’ers die konden meebeslissen over de voorzitter, nu kunnen alle leden hun stem laten horen. Busker maakt deel uit van het dagelijks bestuur van de FNV. FNV Congres: 11 mei

Op 11 mei wordt het nieuwe bestuur gekozen tijdens het congres van de grootste vakbond van Nederland.

Daar zal het Ledenparlement zich ook buigen over de koers die de bond de komende jaren zal varen.

22/03/2017 15:36

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NL NEWS

Voor alle vrouwelijke Inspectie SZW treedt handhavend leden van Nautilus op tegen onderbetaling zeesleper International 12:00 tot 17:00 uur, organiseert A Nautilus International op ons kantoor Op woensdag 17 mei 2017, van

in Rotterdam weer een Vrouwenforum voor onze vrouwelijke leden.

Het Vrouwenforum is de afgelopen jaren een fijne, informele plek gebleken waar vrouwelijke leden werkzaam in de maritieme sector hun ervaringen met elkaar kunnen delen en ideeën kunnen aandragen om de situatie op de werkplek verder te verbeteren.

Eerst waren onze vrouwelijke

Nautilus trekt procedures tegen SZW in

leden nogal sceptisch om naar een vrouwenforum te komen. De reactie was: ‘hoezo, we zijn toch gewoon (zee)varenden? Maar zodra de bijeenkomst begonnen was, kwamen automatisch de verhalen en herkenden de vrouwen ervaringen van elkaar.

g Wilt u er op 17 mei 2017 ook bij zijn?

Laat dit dan uiterlijk 15 april 2017 weten op emailadres: mdenhollander@nautilusint.org.

Programma volgt! Graag tot 17 mei!

Open Brug- en sluiswachters Brandbrief aan Asscher Op 1 maart stuurde Nautilus, mede namens de gedupeerde A brug- en sluiswachters van ODV Maritiem, de volgende Open Brandbrief naar minister Asscher van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid: Excellentie,

U strijdt al jaren voor vaste banen en goed werk.

Juist daarom vragen wij u: Wat gaat u doen aan de voor de werknemers ernstige gevolgen van de aanbesteding ‘Bruggen en sluizen’ van de provincie Noord-Holland, waarbij de kostenbesparing van de provincie wordt betaald uit de zak van de brug- en sluiswachters, die bij de nieuwe werkgever (goedkoopste bieder van de aanbesteding) middeleeuwse arbeidsvoorwaarden aangeboden krijgen?

Hoe kan het dat een goede werkgever, die jarenlang heeft geïnvesteerd in zijn werknemers door middel van scholing en bovendien goede lonen betaalt, deze aanbesteding verliest van de goedkope aanbieder c.q. slechte werkgever, die zo profiteert van de investeringen van de goede werkgever?

De kostenbesparing door de winnende partij bij de aanbesteding wordt vervolgens betaald door de werknemers lagere lonen (- 25%!) aan te bieden.

Gaat de Nederlandse overheid nu ook zelf de race naar beneden ten koste van de werknemers verder stimuleren?

En gaat de Nederlandse overheid nu ook de veiligheid van haar burgers op de weg en op het water in de waagschaal stellen door bedrijven zonder enige expertise aan de knoppen van bruggen en sluizen te laten draaien?

Wat gaat u doen bij komende aanbestedingen om dit in de toekomst te voorkomen? Kunt u garanderen dat er voortaan bij aanbestedingen eisen worden gesteld aan de door de meedingende partijen aan te bieden arbeidsvoorwaarden?

Namens de gedupeerde brug- en sluiswachters van de provincie Noord Holland.

NAUTILUS INTERNATIONAL

Vakbond voor maritiem personeel De provincie NoordHolland

heeft de gunning voor de bediening van bruggen en sluizen per 1 april aan Trigion-City360 (verkeersregelaars) verleend.

Zoals we al eerder meldden, blijkt nu met name het personeel van terugtredend bedienaar ODV Maritiem de dupe te worden van het ‘goedkoop inkopen’ van de Provincie. Ook de veiligheid in Noord Holland lijkt er met een handjevol nauwelijks opgeleide nieuwe brugen sluiswachters per 1 april bepaald niet beter op te worden.

Zo verklaarde ook nautisch adviseur Sander Wels in het vakblad Schuttevaer: ’Probleem is echter, dat door de huidige aanbestedingsvorm van deze uitvoerende werkzaamheden de kwaliteit van de bedienaars terugloopt en daardoor vermoedelijk ook de veiligheid.

De mappen met instructies voor de bedienaars worden steeds dikker, want de opdrachtgever vrijwaart zich op die manier van aansprakelijkheid. Als de bedienaar de instructies niet tot in detail uitvoert, is hij verantwoordelijk als het fout gaat. Door de huidige vorm van uitbesteden wordt ook op de interne kosten van het uitzendbureau bezuinigd. Daardoor kan ook de intensieve begeleiding van de bedienaars onder druk komen te staan, want men verwijst naar de instructies. Het begeleiden van ‘amateur’ naar ‘professionele’ bedienaar zal zo niet worden uitgevoerd. Een heroverweging is aan te bevelen, voordat er grote ongelukken gebeuren.’

Asscher eens met brug/ sluiswachters

GEWOON GOED WERK

Tijdens een debat op vrijdagavond 3 maart met brug/sluiswachter Wim de Hay, in het tv-programma Een Vandaag, verklaarde Asscher onomwonden het eens te zijn met Wim’s uitgangspunt dat de overheid niet zelf de race naar beneden dient te stimuleren.

Wij ontvangen graag uw antwoord voor 15 maart a.s.

De bal ligt wederom bij de Provincie Noord-Holland.

Wij vertrouwen er op dat u hier werk van maakt:

32-35_nl.indd 34

Na herhaalde meldingen van Nautilus International is de Inspectie SZW inmiddels een langlopend onderzoek gestart naar misstanden bij een zeesleepbedrijf, actief in het Amsterdamse havengebied. De Inspectie SZW heeft significante onderbetaling geconstateerd. De matrozen met Filipijnse nationaliteit werkten aan boord van de Nederlands gevlagde zeeschepen en ontvingen aanzienlijk minder dan het wettelijk minimumloon in 2012. De wettelijke vakantiebijslag werd helemaal niet betaald. De Inspectie SZW heeft een boete opgelegd aan de overtreder. De overtreder is een Filipijns bedrijf dat in opdracht van rederij Iskes de matrozen tewerkstelde. Het bedrijf heeft een bedrag gestort tot zekerheid van de nabetaling van de betreffende matrozen.

Een tweede onderzoek van de Inspectie SZW loopt nog. De Inspectie SZW zal herinspecties uitvoeren totdat de wet- en regelgeving weer wordt nageleefd aan boord van de schepen. De Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) onderzoekt of ook

af te dwingen. Eind februari heeft Nautilus de lopende procedures tegen de Minister ingetrokken.

Nautilus bestuurder Sascha Meijer: ‘Deze matrozen moeten alsnog ontvangen waar zij recht op hebben. Bovendien moet het level-playing field in de sector worden hersteld. De Inspectie SZW is daar zeer serieus mee bezig. De Inspectie erkent dat wij als vakbond te inspecteren misstanden voor kunnen dragen. Nautilus trekt de procedures tegen SZW in. ‘

de Arbeidstijdenwet is overtreden aan boord van de zeeslepers.

De Inspectie SZW en de vakbond Nautilus hebben beiden een gemeenschappelijk doel, namelijk het bevorderen van eerlijk werk en het tegengaan van oneerlijke concurrentie.

Misstanden voordragen

Nautilus had in de afgelopen jaren meerdere procedures gestart tegen de Minister om handhaving van de misstanden bij deze zeesleper

Raad van State: Nautilus is belanghebbende

In oktober 2016 heeft de Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak van de Raad van State in dit geval bevestigd dat Nautilus International belanghebbende is als het gaat om mistanden bij een bedrijf actief in de maritieme sector. De vakbond weet wat er speelt in de sector en kan een belangrijke signaalfunctie vervullen. Dit strookt met de agenda van Minister Asscher om schijnconstructies en onderbetaling aan te pakken.

Boeiend seminar ‘investeren in goede Waterbouwers’ A

‘Goed dat er nog bedrijven zijn, die graag met Nederlandse vakmensen werken’.

‘Goede Waterbouw werkgevers kunnen niet zonder goede Waterbouw werknemers’. Dit waren enkele reacties van deelnemers aan het FNV Waterbouw/Nautilus seminar ‘Investeren in Goede Waterbouwers’, dat op 9 maart plaatsvond in een volgepakt Nationaal Baggermuseum in Sliedrecht.

Steeds meer ‘lage lonen flex’ voor vaste medewerkers

FNV Waterbouw voorzitter Charley Ramdas stelde in zijn openingsspeech: ‘Het begint helaas onder een aantal Nederlandse Waterbouw bedrijven steeds meer een trend te worden om goede, vaste vakmensen te vervangen door tijdelijke flexkrachten uit lage lonen landen. Dit blijkt ook uit ons Meldpunt FNV Waterbouw, waar veel van onze leden (en ook niet-leden) op hebben gereageerd.

Daar zie je reacties als: ‘Ik zit al maanden op wachtgeld, terwijl tijdelijke flexkrachten worden ingehuurd om mijn werk te doen’.

‘Ik word ingeruild voor onervaren werknemers uit lage lonen landen’.

‘Ik mag nu Oost Europeanen opleiden voor mijn baan; daarna gooien ze me eruit’.

Langdurig op wachtgeld gezet

Charley Ramdas: ‘We zien dat steeds meer werknemers langdurig op wachtgeld worden gezet en/of ontslagen en ingeruild voor werknemers uit lage lonen landen. Of zij kunnen na ontslag via een uitzend — bureau bij dezelfde werkgever weer aan de slag. Vaak via een wurgcontract.’

Jong talent teleurgesteld

‘Ook de positie van de toekomstige werknemers wordt zo aangetast. Veel jong talent vindt geen stageplaats en verlaat teleurgesteld de sector. Dit is funest voor het imago van de sector. Als er geen jongeren meer instromen, heeft dat catastrofale gevolgen voor de kennis die nodig is om als Nederland een goede concurrentiepositie te behouden. Zo gaat een prachtige sector naar de Filistijnen.

Daarom wil FNV Waterbouw ‘Investeren in Goede Waterbouwers’. Sleutelwoorden hierin zijn voor mij vooral ‘vakmanschap’ en innovatie’.

personeelsbeleid constant bezig met het recruteren en vasthouden van de beste vaklieden in de sector. Daar investeren wij constant in. Ook worden onze mensen stelselmatig bijgeschoold en, als dit vereist is, omgeschoold. Zo investeer je in elkaar: in de waarde van je onderneming en in je deskundige vakmensen. Aan de andere kant nemen we afscheid van mensen die hier niet in mee willen gaan; die zich niet willen laten bij- of omscholen. Het is een kwestie van geven en nemen wat dat betreft.

Fiscale aftrek belangrijk

Charley Ramdas: ‘Gelukkig zijn er ook nog Baggerbedrijven die hierin wel blijven investeren. Van deze bedrijven hadden wij daarom twee sprekers gevraagd te vertellen hoe zij dit doen. Eén was helaas verhinderd. Tevens wilden wij ons op dit seminar laten voorlichten over de huidige economische en innoverende vooruitzichten van de Waterbouw sector. Hiertoe hadden wij de heer Bart Kuipers als vooraanstaand econoom bereid gevonden een voordracht te houden.’

Ook in moeilijker tijden nemen wij daarom geen afscheid van onze vakmensen. Als onderdeel van de (Belgische) DEME Group, zien wij onszelf als een Offshore Constructiebedrijf, dat ook baggert. Wij proberen juist zo veel mogelijk met Nederlanders en onder Nederlandse vlag te werken. Temeer omdat we daardoor in aanmerking komen voor de gunstige fiscale aftrek die de Nederlandse overheid ons biedt; dat wil ik er wel eerlijk bijzeggen. Ik zou dan ook de vakbond willen oproepen hiervoor, ook bij de nieuwe kabinetsformatie, te blijven pleiten!’

Selecteren van medewerkers met de beste competenties

Toenemende vraag naar hoger opgeleide medewerkers

Tideway directeur en spreker Hugo Bouvy ging in zijn voordracht vooral in op het kiezen van werknemers met de beste competenties.

‘Wij zijn bij Tideway qua

De titel van de voordracht van haveneconoom (Erasmus Universiteit) dr. Bart Kuipers luidde: ‘Lange termijn trends in de werkgelegenheid in het maritieme cluster: met

Wel investeren in goede waterbouwers

bijzondere aandacht voor de Waterbouw’. Kuipers nam het publiek mee in een aantal toekomstscenario’s, waaruit bleek dat in de meeste scenario’s de vooruitzichten van met name de Waterbouw er zonnig uitzien.

Kuipers: ‘Het is een taaie sector, met een gestadige en langzame groei, ook qua werkgelegenheid.

Hier in Sliedrecht bevinden we ons in het hart van de Nederlandse Waterbouw, waarin ook innovatie en het investeren in Offshore Wind goede aanwijzingen zijn voor verdere groei. Wel moeten we qua werkgelegenheid constateren dat er steeds meer vraag komt naar hoger opgeleide werknemers.’

Meer HBO stagiairs

Iets wat beaamd werd door Hugo Bouvy, die stelde steeds minder MBO-stagiairs en steeds meer HBO-stagiairs een stageplek aan te bieden. Kuipers: ‘Deze trend wordt uiteraard vooral gestimuleerd door de toenemende automatisering en robotisering. En door de skills die hiervoor nodig zijn. Daarom moet de sector blijven investeren in innovatie en in kennis en kunde van zijn werknemers.

Daar ligt ook een taak voor de Nederlandse overheid, door goede en stimulerende randvoorwaarden te (blijven) scheppen.’

Actieplan

In de middag vond er een ledenvergadering plaats.

Charley Ramdas, over de uitkomsten hiervan: ‘Samen met onze leden hebben we, mede geïnspireerd door de sprekers op het seminar, een belangrijke aanzet gegeven aan het opstellen van een Actieplan. Met name om aandacht te vragen voor een ‘duurzaam personeelsbeleid’ met respect voor vaste krachten en ervaren vakmensen.

En om een halt toe te roepen aan verdringing door het los/vast inhuren van ‘lage lonen landers’.

22/03/2017 15:37

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

Nautilus steunt Nautilus Symposium: wetsvoorstel Investeren in maritieme bescherming professionals koopvaardij A Wetsvoorstel ingediend bij Tweede Kamer

Na ontvangst en verwerking van het advies van de Raad van State hebben de VVD en CDA het initiatiefwetsvoorstel Wet ter Bescherming Koopvaardij op 15 februari jl. ingediend bij de Tweede Kamer. Dit wetsvoorstel maakt de inzet van gewapende particuliere beveiligers op Nederlands gevlagde schepen mogelijk. Uitgangspunt blijft dat de reder eerst een aanvraag moet indienen voor een militair team, een Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD).

Als dat geen optie is, kan het schip en de bemanning door een gewapend particulier beveiligingsteam beschermd worden tegen piraterij.

concreet zijn ingevuld. Deze elementen, het extra moeten omvaren om een militair team aan boord te nemen en de extra kosten van een militair team ten opzichte van een particulier team, bepalen of een reder toestemming krijgt om met een particulier beveiligingsteam te mogen varen.

Het is aan het nieuwe kabinet om deze elementen per Algemene Maatregel van Bestuur (AMvB) in te vullen, aldus het wetsvoorstel. De organisaties vertrouwen erop dat deze elementen op een goede wijze worden ingevuld.

Zij steunen het initiatiefwetsvoorstel en hopen op een zo spoedig mogelijke afronding van de parlementaire behandeling.

Nieuwe Tweede Kamer behandelt wetsvoorstel

Nederland als laatste Europese land

Nautilus, de KVNR en de NVKK steunen dit zogenaamde ‘VPD-tenzij’ principe volmondig. De organisaties zijn blij dat het wetsvoorstel nog vóór de parlementsverkiezingen is ingediend bij de Tweede Kamer, zodat de Tweede Kamer in de nieuwe samenstelling meteen kan beginnen met de behandeling van het voorstel.

De organisaties merken wel op dat enkele belangrijke elementen nog niet

Met het van kracht worden van deze wet zal Nederland zich als laatste aansluiten bij alle andere maritieme Europese landen, die al lange tijd gewapende particuliere beveiliging toestaan. Een wettelijke regeling geeft Nederlandse reders de mogelijkheid hun zeevarenden te beschermen op het niveau en tegen de kosten zoals die inmiddels voor andere Europese reders en hun zeevarenden gemeengoed zijn.

Op dinsdagmiddag 20 juni 2017, van 15.00 tot 17.00 uur, vindt het openbaar toegankelijke Nautilus Symposium ‘Investeren in Maritieme Professionals’ plaats in het Rotterdam Marriott Hotel te Rotterdam; Weena 686. g U kunt zich nu al opgeven bij: mschmidt@nautilusint.org Nautilus Jaarvergadering

Hiervoor vindt de Nautilus Jaarvergadering, alleen voor leden, plaats. Van 13.00 tot 14.30 uur.

Eén van de agendapunten zal zijn de verkiezing tot hoofdbestuurder van Sascha Meijer-Pieneman. De Nautilus Raad van Advies draagt haar via een bindende voordracht voor.

Meer informatie over deze middag volgt nog, maar houdt u deze datum vast vrij in de agenda.

Voorstellen indienen

Het is goed om alvast alle leden te

Nautilus weer present A op de Open Dagen van de

Op 10 en 11 februari was

Maritieme Academie Harlingen.

Tal van ouders en (aankomende) leerlingen kwamen een kijkje nemen in de Nautilus stand en lieten zich informeren over het speciale studenten (voordeel)lidmaatschap van de bond: 3,35 euro per maand, inclusief toezending van de vakbladen de Telegraph en/ of Binnenvaartnieuws en SWZ Magazine. Dit is ook inclusief de 24/7 service die Nautilus International al zijn (studenten) leden wereldwijd biedt.

Veel animo was er ook voor het bijwonen van informatieve lessen over de Binnenvaart en

32-35_nl.indd 35

de Zeevaart. Ook het zelfvarend oefenen op de simulatoren scoorde hoog.

Full mission binnenvaart simulator

De Maritieme Academie Harlingen is een school voor maritiem en techniek. Met haar moderne schoolgebouw, twee nieuwe opleidingsschepen, een full mission binnenvaart simulator en een zeevaartsimulator beschikt de Academie over een up to date instrumentarium om vele jongeren een goede maritieme opleiding te geven. Naast Vmbo en Mbo onderwijs wordt ook maritiem contractonderwijs verzorgd. Nieuw is de opleiding Scheeps- en jachtbouw.

CAO of een specifieke rederij worden verwezen naar desbetreffende ledenvergaderingen. Eventuele voorstellen dienen uiterlijk 1 mei a.s. schriftelijk of per email door

het bestuur te zijn ontvangen en zullen voorzien van een bestuursadvies aan de vergadering worden voorgelegd. g In te sturen naar mschmidt@nautilusint.org

Nautilus te gast op Maritieme Academie Harlingen weer te gast op de Maritieme A Academie Harlingen. Nautilus Begin maart was Nautilus

Binnenvaart bestuurder Carl Kraijenoord gaf er twee gastlessen.

Aan een groep MBO 2 leerlingen en aan de zogenaamde ‘Kapiteinsklas’.

Nederlandse werkgelegenheid topprioriteit

Nautilus op Open Dagen in Harlingen

wijzen op de mogelijkheid om voorstellen in te dienen. Deze voorstellen dienen het algemene Nederlandse belang van de vereniging te betreffen.

Voorstellen over een specifieke

Uit ledenvergaderingen en gesprekken met onze leden blijkt dat behoud van werkgelegenheid voor Nederlandse zeevarenden een groeiende zorg is van veel van onze leden. En terecht, gezien de faillissementen en ander somber nieuws van de afgelopen tijd.

Aandacht hiervoor aan alle relevante tafels heeft dan ook een heel hoge prioriteit voor Nautilus in Nederland.

Dat is niet nieuw. De afgelopen decennia heeft Nautilus er alles aan gedaan om uw Nederlandse werkgelegenheid te waarborgen.

Een zorgvuldig systeem van ‘checks and balances’ is gecreëerd tussen overheid, Nautilus en de reders.

Bovendien bestond er tot vorig jaar een stagegarantie en een baangarantie voor jonge Nederlandse zeevarenden. De stagegarantie is niet meer volledig in te lossen, aldus de reders. De baangarantie staat echter onverminderd overeind.

Kapiteinsklas en ondernemerschap

Carl Kraijenoord: ‘In beide groepen vond een levendige discussie plaats over het organiseren van een belangengroep, gerichte onderhandelingen, algemene voorwaarden en professionaliteit. In de Kapiteinsklas

zijn op de Nederlandse vloot. Maar ook Nederlanders met ambitie in de zeevaart moeten op deze schepen aan het werk kunnen en aan het werk kunnen blijven; ook in de toekomst.

Daarom is onder andere tussen de overheid en de sector afgesproken dat de werkgevers het werken in de zeevaart door Nederlanders promoten. En draait er al jaren een succesvol project ‘Zeebenen in de klas’. Bij afgifte van RAZ en RTO vergunningen geldt verder de voorwaarde dat de werkgever met Nautilus afspraken maakt over loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden voor de buitenlanders. Zo kunnen wij een acceptabel loon- en beschermingsniveau borgen en tevens oneerlijke concurrentie inperken. De RTK stelt nog strengere eisen. Daar worden alleen vergunningen voor het varen met niet-EU/EER kapiteins afgegeven als er geen geschikte Nederlandse kapiteins beschikbaar zijn voor werk op het type schip in een bepaald werk-/vaargebied, waarvoor vergunning wordt gevraagd.’

Vergunningen voor varen met niet EU/EER zeevarenden

Nederlanders komen soms moeilijk aan het werk

Ook speelt Nautilus een rol in de commissies RAZ/RTO en RTK die gaan over het afgeven van vergunningen aan reders voor het varen met niet EU/EER zeevarenden. Want ja, zij zijn nodig omdat de Nederlandse instroom lang niet voldoet aan de aantallen professionals die nodig

Lange tijd was er vrijwel geen werkloosheid onder Nederlandse kapiteins en officieren en werkte het zorgvuldige systeem van EU/EER versus niet-EU/EER werkgelegenheid daarom naar tevredenheid van vele betrokkenen. De afgelopen maanden, sinds de teloorgang van

lag de nadruk meer op ondernemerschap en managementvaardigheden en hoe men dit fris en up-to-date zou kunnen houden. Al met al boeiende discussies.’

24/7 service vakbond

Verder werd de meerwaarde uitgelegd

Flinter en Abis, melden onze leden ons echter dat daar een verschuiving in optreedt en dat Nederlanders soms moeilijk aan het werk komen.

Uiteraard nemen wij dat soort meldingen heel serieus Inmiddels zijn wij met zowel de reders als het UWV in gesprek over extra aandacht voor matching van werkloze Nederlandse zeevarenden met vacatures bij de reders.

Behoud van Europese werkgelegenheid

Niet alleen in Nederland maar ook in het Europese werk is behoud van Europese werkgelegenheid topprioriteit. Dat werk doen wij samen met andere bonden in Europa, verenigd in de Europese vakbondskoepel voor transportwerkers ETF. Daar wordt onder andere gelobbyd voor betere Europese bemanningsregels en voor verbeteringen in de mogelijkheden voor Europese lidstaten om het in dienst nemen en houden van Europese zeevarenden (fiscaal en anderszins) te faciliteren. Hier vindt regelmatig overleg tussen Europese sociale partners over plaats. Eind februari hebben wij hier een seminar over gehouden in Brussel met veel politici en werkgevers als gasten. Om ook bij hen het belang van Europese werkgelegenheid te benadrukken.

Ook omdat investeren in kwalitatieve arbeid een belangrijk deel is van een succesvolle zeevaartsector. Nu en in de toekomst.

van het speciale studentenlidmaatschap tegen een sterk gereduceerd tarief (3,35 euro per maand, inclusief toezending van de vakbladen de Telegraph en SWZ Magazine). Dit is ook inclusief de 24/7 service die Nautilus International al zijn (studenten)leden wereldwijd biedt.

Meld u bij Nautilus

Uw informatie is de basis van ons werk. Wij herhalen daarom onze oproep: meld u bij Nautilus als u moeilijk of niet aan (vast) werk komt.

Die informatie is belangrijk voor ons.

Ook horen wij informeel vaak welke rederijen personeel zoeken. Het is dan handig als wij uw functie en uw globale arbeidsverleden weten. g Wij horen graag van u via het mailadres infonl@nautilusint.org.

Telefonisch kan ook.

Bel dan op maandag, woensdag of donderdag met Ingrid Linschoten op tel nr. 010-2862985.

Wilt u een groter publiek bereiken? Presenteer uw product of service aan meer dan 15,000 maritieme professionele lezers uit Nederland, ter land en op zee!

Spreek met één van onze vertegenwoordigers om uit te vinden hoe wij u het beste kunnen helpen.

Neem contact op met Joe Elliott-Walker van Redactive Media Group T: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 E: joe.elliott-walker@ redactive.co.uk.

22/03/2017 15:37

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

APPOINTMENTS CV Professionals

Where’s my Telegraph?

Maritime & oĎƒshore specialists

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you. To let us know your new address, go to www.nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or membership@nautilusint.org

www.cvprofessionals.co.uk

Looking for a new challenge in 2017?

CEMEX UK Marine is a leading supplier of marine aggregates to the British and European construction industry and is part of CEMEX, a global building materials solutions provider. Dedicated to building a better future, we believe in balancing ďŹ nancial achievement with a ďŹ rm commitment to sustainable development.

We believe in realising individual potential and encouraging personal progression. We currently operate a eet of 4 UK agged aggregate dredging vessels ranging from 1251gt/1080kW to 6534gt/4920kW delivering to customers in the UK and near continent. CEMEX Marine (Guernsey) are currently seeking to employ on CEMEX UK Marine Ltd vessels, enthusiastic individuals who are committed to working safely to join our eet in the following rank:

Chief Engineer (Unlimited) A key leadership role, we are looking for a person with a ‘hands on’ approach to the job and proven man management experience. Candidates should hold Chief Engineer unlimited UK CoC/CeC and have previous experience sailing in this rank.

We offer: • Salary circa £55K - £60K (depending on experience) • 3 week on/off work leave rotation • Company Pension Scheme • Company performance related bonus scheme

Interested candidates should submit a CV and covering letter to Jay Jose, Commercial Administrator, at jaypatrickjohn.jose@cemex.com Closing date: 14th April 2017.

JOIN US TO

SERVE THE ISOLATED

IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

WE ARE LOOKING FOR QUALIFIED ENGINEERING OFFICERS, MECHANICS, FITTERS & WELDERS TO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE ON OUR NEWEST SHIP, BEING LAUNCHED INTO PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

Reach over 110,000 readers

NOTICE TO READERS

To find out how you can reach that kind of readership contact Jude Rosset on +44 (0)20 7880 7621 or email jude.rosset@redactive.co.uk.

Nautilus International advises members that some crewing agencies may not be advertising specific positions, but instead may be seeking to develop their databases of job hunters.

YWAMSHIPS.NET | JOIN-US@YWAMSHIPS.NET

Clyde Marine Recruitment is a leading provider of marine recruitment and bespoke crew management VHUYLFHV :LWK RIÂźFHV ORFDWHG LQ 8. /DWYLD 3RODQG DQG Singapore it allows us to provide our clients with easy access to a multi-national pool of candidates from a single point of contact.

For sea-going jobs apply at www.clyderecruit.com

FLEETWOOD NAUTICAL CAMPUS - CELEBRATING 125 YEARS

with a long-established reputation for being a leading provider of training to the maritime industry.

MARITIME COURSES NAEST O: 2018 | 8 Jan | 23 Apr GMDSS GOC: 2017 | 29 May | 12 June | 13, 27 Nov | 2018 | 8, 22 Jan | 5, 19 Mar | 30 Apr | 9, 23 July

Chief Mate Infill: 2017 | 8 May | 11, 25 Sept | 2018 | 15, 22 Jan | 8 May Human Element Leadership Management HELM M: 2017 | 29 May | 5 June | 24, 31 July | 11, 18 Sept | 9 Oct | 27 Nov | 4 Dec | 2018 | 8, 15 Jan | 12, 19 Feb | 2, 9, 23, 30 Apr | 27, 30 July

NAEST M: 2017 | 30 May | 24, 31 July | 11, 18 Sept | 16 Oct | 27 Nov | 4 Dec | 2018 | 8, 15 Jan | 12, 19 Feb | 2,9, 23 Apr | 23, 30 July

Bridge Team Management: 2017 | 10 July | 25 Sept | 20 Nov | 2018 | 22 Jan | 19 Mar | 16 Apr | 14 May | 25 June | 9 July

Tanker Oil Specialisation: 2017 | 31 July | 11 Dec | 2018 | 9 Apr | 30 July

Ship Handling (1 Week): 2017 | 4 Sept | 9 Oct | 2018 | 5 Mar | 16 July

Electronic Chart Display & Info System: 2018 | 9 Jan

VTS Refresher: 2017 | 4 July | 7 Nov | 2018 | 13 Mar | 3 July

Tanker Gas Course: 2017 | 24 July | 18 Dec | 2018 | 16 Apr | 23 July

VTS Operator - Induction and Simulator (2 Weeks): 2017 | 10 July | 13 Nov | 2018 | 19 Mar | 9 July

Masters Orals: 2017 | 2 May | 19 June | 11 Sept | 30 Oct | 2018 | 15 Jan | 5 Mar | 8 May | 25 June

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Post FD Deck Orals Preparation: 2017 | 2 May | 19 June | 11 Sept | 30 Oct | 2018 | 15 Jan | 5 Mar | 8 May | 25 June

E maritime@blackpool.ac.uk T 01253 779 123 W blackpool.ac.uk/nautical If you are interested in working at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, call 01253 50(4760) to register your interest or for information on current vacancies.

WWW.BLACKPOOL.AC.UK

Nautilus recruitment.indd 36

TANKER

PASSENGER FERRIES

0DVWHUV DQG &KLHI 2IÂźFHUV with experience on Product Tankers.

8VMTW EVI [IIOW SR ERH SJJ 4SWMXMSRW EVI XS NSMR E žIIX of small Product Tankers, under 10,000 DWT. Master CoC and 'LMIJ 3J½GIV 'S' [MXL 3MP (') 4IVQERIRX 4SWMXMSR

Fixed term Night Watchmen based out of Portsmouth International Port from mid-April until 12th September approximately (subject to change). 1:1 week rotation, walk on/off (no accommodation provided). Mooring experience IWWIRXMEP )\TIVMIRGI MR E WMQMPEV VSPI EHZERXEKISYW 2S XVEZIP expenses or accommodation provided so must be within manageable daily commute.

Chief Engineer, Second Engineer and additional Fourth Engineers required for both Oil Tankers and Gas Tankers.

Operating worldwide. Various Clients recruiting with trip lengths and salaries varied. See website for full details. &KLHI 2IŸFHU with LNG or Oil Tanker experience (at least 24 months experience). Trips are 3 months on with 28 days leave TIV QSRXL WIVZIH 'LMIJ 3J½GIV YRPMQMXIH 'S' [MXL +EW SV 3MP (') )\GIPPIRX WEPEV] ERH FIRI½X TEGOEKI 4IVQERIRX TSWMXMSR &KLHI 2IŸFHU for Oil Tanker, must have at least 24 months I\TIVMIRGI EW 'LMIJ 3J½GIV SR XEROIVW LSPHMRK ER YRPMQMXIH 'LMIJ 3J½GIV [MXL 3MP (') MX [SYPH FI HIWMVEFPI JSV GERHMHEXIW XS LSPH E 'LIQMGEP (') XSS 8VMTW EVI QSRXLW Permanent position.

UG 2IÂźFHUV with at least 6 months experience on tankers.

Trips are 3 months with 23 days leave per month served.

33; (IGO 'S' [MXL +EW SV 3MP (') )\GIPPIRX WEPEV] ERH FIRI½X TEGOEKI 4IVQERIRX TSWMXMSR

AD HOC Chief and Second Engineers required for ad hoc Dredging vacancies throughout the UK. 2-3 week trips, day rate available on request and travel paid.

Motorman VIUYMVIH [MXL 'VS[H 1EREKIQIRX 'IVXM½GEXI for Ad Hoc work on Passenger Ferries.

ABs required for sea trials from 24th April to 22nd May between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Initial work conducted in Scotstoun Shipyard and delivery voyage mid-August for ETTVS\ HE]W 'IVXM½GEXMSR QYWX FI YT XS HEXI

Stewards required for Passenger Ferry Operators in the UK. Ad-hoc, short notice temporary contracts. Chance of repeat [SVO *YPP 78'; GIVXM½GEXMSR ERH I\TIVMIRGI EW 7XI[EVH or in customer service / hospitality roles essential. Crowd Management, Crisis Management and Human Behaviour, *SSH ,]KMIRI GIVXM½GEXMSR ERH (MWGLEVKI FSSOW [SYPH be advantageous.

RFA 'HFN 2IŸFHUV ZLWK 0DVWHUV XQOLPLWHG &R& DQG (QJLQHHULQJ 2IŸFHUV ZLWK D &KLHI (QJLQHHU &R& 6HFRQG (QJLQHHU &R& and System Engineer (ETO) required for vacancies within XLI 6*% *PIIX &IRI½XW MRGPYHI GSQTIXMXMZI WEPEV] TEMH ZS]EKI leave, 4:3 rotation including training, career average occupational pension scheme, fully funded study leave programme, world class comprehensive training programme. **Please note for this vacancy MOD requirements dictate when you join, you must have British Citizenship and have EHHQ OLYLQJ LQ WKH 8. IRU DW OHDVW IRXU RI WKH SDVW ŸYH \HDUV

For all shore-based jobs, please visit:

www.redtheconsultancy.com

For Sea-going Jobs visit Clyde Marine Recruitment:

www.clyderecruit.com Glasgow +44 (0) 141 427 6886 Singapore +65 6299 4992

Gdynia +4858 665 3860 Riga +371 6733 1357

21/03/2017 12:58

April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

APPOINTMENTS

SHOREBASED

SHOREBASED - YACHTS

SEAGOING - TANKER/LNG

Voyage Manager - LNG

Operations Manager

Master

Glasgow - ÂŁ45K

Europe - â‚Ź70-75K

. 3HUP FRQWUDFW

Assistant Technical Super - LNG

Technical Manager

&KLHI 2IĆ‚FHU /1*

London - ÂŁ55K

Europe - â‚Ź65-75K

. EHQHĆ‚WV

Fleet Manager - Containers

Sales Broker

Chief Engineer - LNG

London - ÂŁ75K

Salary TBD

. 86 EHQHĆ‚WV

Marine Superintendent - LPG

Charter Broker

C/O - LPG/VLGC

London - ÂŁ80K

Salary TBD

86 PWK

Technical Superintendent - Tankers

SEAGOING - YACHTS

Crew Training Co-ordinator

UG 2IĆ&#x201A;FHU P 6DLOLQJ <DFKW

London - ÂŁ30K

â&#x201A;Ź4.5K/mth

SEAGOING - CRUISE

Technical Superintendent - Tankers

6DLO +DQG P 6DLOLQJ <DFKW

Executive Housekeeper -

Glasgow - ÂŁ60K

â&#x201A;Ź2.5K/mth

Sous Chef - $35K

Deputy Harbour Master

QG 2IĆ&#x201A;FHU P 0RWRU <DFKW

Multiple Locations - Salary DOE

â&#x201A;Ź6K/mth

Cruise Director - $85K

Vessel Manager - LNG

Sole Chef - 40m+ Motor Yacht

London - ÂŁ70K

â&#x201A;Ź6K/mth

HR Manager (Seagoing) -

&KLHI 2IĆ&#x201A;FHU P 6DLOLQJ <DFKW

2nd Engineer - â&#x201A;Ź50K

$8K/mth

Sommelier - .

Technical Superintendent

UG (QJLQHHU P 0RWRU <DFKW

ÂŁ80K

â&#x201A;Ź4K/mth

Waiter/ess - $33K

Port Operations Manager

'HFNKDQG P 6DLOLQJ <DFKW

Northern Europe - ÂŁ35-45K

â&#x201A;Ź2.2K/mth

SHOREBASED - CRUISE

Shorebased: +44 (0)23 8020 8840 shipping-uk@faststream.com

Seagoing: +44 (0)23 8020 8820

seagoing-uk@faststream.com

Advertising your vacancy works!

VIKING RECRUITMENT CREWING - EMPLOYMENT - PAYROLL ADMINISTRATION - TRAVEL CREW PLACEMENT & MANAGEMENT SERVICES TAILORED TO YOUR OWN REQUIREMENTS

We have excellent career opportunities with some of the most prestigious names in the cruise and superyacht market.

Positions include: â&#x20AC;˘ Captain â&#x20AC;˘ Chief OfďŹ cers â&#x20AC;˘ 2nd OfďŹ cers â&#x20AC;˘ Chief Engineers â&#x20AC;˘ 2nd Engineers

â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Y1 -Y4 Engineers Chief Electrician ETOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hotel & Guest Services Professionals

T: +44 (0)300 303 8191 E: info@vikingrecruitment.com W: www.vikingrecruitment.com

@vikingrecruitment @vikingrec #talktoViking

Nautilus recruitment.indd 37

Gas Engineer

Hamburg - â&#x201A;Ź88K

Contact Jude Rosset on +44 (0)20 7880 7621 or email jude.rosset@redactive.co.uk to find out how advertising your vacancy here will work for you.

19 April 2017 is the closing date for May 2017.

You can still advertise online at any time.

NOT A MEMBER OF NAUTILUS

$65-70K - Perm contract 3/3

Senior First Engineer - ÂŁ56K

Housekeeper - Receptionist - $27K

@shippingjobs www.faststream.com

OPERATIONS & TECHNICAL MANAGER

Lowestoft P&O Maritime (P&OM) is a diverse business with operations in Australasia, Europe, South America and the Middle East & Africa. We provide specialist maritime solutions through ownership, operation and management of a ďŹ&#x201A;eet of specialised vessels.

P&O Maritime (P&OM) currently have a vacancy for an Operations and Technical Manager who will be responsible as head of the business unit for the overall management of our vessels under P&O Maritime ownership and management.

The overall management will include a requirement to interface heavily with key partners to ensure services delivery.

The Operations and Technical Manager will also be responsible for technical operations of the ďŹ&#x201A;eet and oversee the maintenance; repair; budgeting; survey schedules inspections and dockings of the assigned vessels.

Suitable candidates must hold a Class I Chief Engineer CertiďŹ cate, have at least 5 years shore based experience as Superintendent and demonstrate strong experience in the management of contracts, vessel and shipping operations.

To request a job description or apply please send your CV and cover letter to Niamh Glennon, HC Manager at niamh.glennon@pomaritime.com by 30th April 2017.

SEASCOPE RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS

INTERNATIONAL?

Join now on our website Fill out the online application at: www.nautilus int.org

Are you ready for the New Season?

NEW JOB! NEW EXCITING CAREER! Be the ďŹ rst to hear about new job vacancies by registering at recruitment.seascopemaritimetraining.com or email Recruitment@seascoperecruitment.co.uk

21/03/2017 12:58

38 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MSN 1874 (M+F) Amendment 1 — Marine equipment: the Marine Equipment Directive, other approval & standards This notice amends MSN 1874 to bring it into line with Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/306 — which deals with the design, construction and performance requirements and testing standards for marine equipment. The regulation entered into force on 16 March 2017 and became directly applicable in the UK. The sections of the original MSN 1874 that are updated via the amendment notice are: z Sections 5.2 and 13.1, which deal with the contact details for UK designated notified and nominated bodies z Annex 1 and Annex 2, which set out the design, construction and performance requirements for equipment conformity assessment by a notified body MGN 563 (M+F) — Guidance on the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003 and amendments This note replaces MGN 253, MGN 259, MGN 326 and MGN 387. It should be read in conjunction with a number of UK Statutory Instruments (listed in the note).

The text of MGN 563 remains largely the same as MGN 387, with some minor amendments to various paragraphs. The main amendment is the replacement of Annex A, which contains the new waste notification form to be used by shipmasters for pre-notification of delivering waste to port reception facilities. It also contains additional sub-categories of garbage and a column in which to record information about waste delivered in the last port of delivery.

The decision has been taken to incorporate the out of date Port Waste Management Planning — A Guide to Good Practice into MGN 563. Some of the document has been moved into the body of the MGN but the majority remains as a standalone document set out in Annex E. MIN 527 (M) (Corrigendum) — Written examination dates 2016/17: Engineer Officers (Yachts and Sail Training Vessels) This corrigendum updates MIN 527, setting out the latest written examination dates for Engineer Officer Certificates of Competency (limited to yachts and sail training vessels) for the academic year

commencing 1 September 2016.

MIN 532 (M) — Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers: amendment 2016 This note provides information about the 2016 revision to the Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers. The Code provides best practice guidance for health and safety onboard ship.

MIN 532 deals with the regulatory framework, safety management procedures and statutory duties underlying the advice in the Code.

It includes the areas that should be covered when introducing a new recruit to the safety procedures onboard.

As MIN 532 explains, changes from the 2015 edition of the Code include: z a new chapter on ships serving offshore renewables installations z new illustrations on PPE for painting and hotwork z updated references z corrections to typographical and formatting errors MIN 539 (M) — Boatmasters’ Licence Regulations: information for boatmasters and crew members holding STCW basic training certificates after 1 January 2017 This note provides clarification on refresher training requirements, where applicable, for those boatmasters and crew members holding Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) basic training certificates in lieu of Boatmasters’ Licence (BML) ancillary safety training.

The contents of MIN 539 will be incorporated in the next amendment to MSN 1853.

MIN 540 (M+F) — Consolidated European Reporting System (CERS): revised reporting processes and introduction of the CERS workbook This note explains revised processes for collecting information to meet the reporting obligations described in European Union Directive 2010/65/ EU. The directive applies to ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of member states.

MIN 540 also explains how to conform to the associated directives and regulations: z EU Directive 2000/59/EC and Commission Directive (EU) 2015/2087 z EU Directive 2002/59/EC and EU Directive 2009/17/EC z Regulation (EC) 725/2004 Information which must be passed to port authorities in order to meet these obligations (‘reportable information’) should now be collected electronically, using the CERS Workbook where appropriate.

The workbook has been produced in collaboration with industry and aims to streamline reporting processes for vessels arriving at UK ports.

Where MIN 540 describes a change in the requirements described in Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN) 1831, these changes will be incorporated in the next amendment to that notice.

Existing processes for reporting information on the UK Pre-arrival Notification (PAN), FAL 7, and the Waste Notification Form (WNF) will be discontinued from 1 April 2017.

MIN 541 (M+F) — Relocation of Ensign and Tyne Marine Office This note provides information on the following: z closure of Tyne Marine Office z opening of the MCA North East Exam Centre z relocation of the Ensign Large Yacht Unit Tyne Marine Office closed on 6 March 2017. It has now become the MCA North East Exam Centre and a satellite of the Hull Marine Office, and will change the way it delivers its services.

The MCA North East Exam Centre will provide examination services located at South Tyneside College. As it did in its previous guise, the centre will continue to undertake survey and inspection activities.

A public counter service facility will not be available at the MCA North East Exam Centre, but there will be a waiting area for candidates who have a pre-booked examination. The public counter service will now be provided by the Hull Marine Office.

The Ensign Large Yacht Unit also relocated to South Tyneside College on 6 March 2017, and continues to provide the same level of service currently received.

New contact details for the MCA North East Exam Centre, the Hull Marine Office and the Ensign Large Yacht Unit are given in MIN 541. z M-Notices are available as electronic documents or as a set of bound volumes. z A consolidated set of M-Notices is published by The Stationery Office.

This contains all M-Notices current on 31 July 2015 (ISBN 978 01155 34034) and costs £210 — www.tsoshop.co.uk z Individual copies can be downloaded from the MCA website.

Go to www.gov.uk/mca and click on Find marine (M) notices. z Email alerts can be sent automatically whenever an M-Notice is published or updated. To set this up, follow the instructions in MIN 515 (M+F) — Guidance for subscriptions to safety bulletins and MCA document notifications on GOV.UK.

Member meetings and seminars

Pensions

Nautilus International organises regular meetings, forums and seminars for members to discuss pensions, technical matters, maritime policies and legal issues. Coming up in the next few months are:

Nautilus Pensions Association meetings provide a focal point for members regarding pensions

g Young Maritime Professionals Forum The first YMP forum of 2017 will coincide with the New Generation Festival for young workers organised by the General Federation of Trade Unions. 7-9 April 2017 GFTU, Quorn Grange Hotel, 88 Wood Lane, Quorn, Leicestershire LE12 8DB The Forum provides guidance to Nautilus Council on the challenges facing young people at sea.

Contact Danny McGowan: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Contact Nautilus International Nautilus International welcomes contact from members at any time. Please send a message to one of our department email addresses (see page 17) or get in touch with us at one of our offices around the world.

For urgent matters, we can also arrange to visit your ship in a UK port.

Please give us your vessel’s ETA and as much information as possible about the issue that needs addressing.

UK Head office Nautilus International 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane South Woodford, London E18 1BD Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 Fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 enquiries@nautilusint.org

FRANCE Yacht sector office in partnership with D&B Services 3 Bd. d’Aguillon, 06600 Antibes, France Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 nautilus@dandbservices.com www.dandbservices.com SPAIN Yacht sector office in partnership with Dovaston Crew Carrer de Versalles 9A, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain Tel: +34 971 677 375 recruitment@nautilusint.org www.dovastoncrew.com

THE NETHERLANDS Postal Address Nautilus International Postbus 8575, 3009 An Rotterdam Physical Address Nautilus International, Schorpioenstraat 266, 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 infonl@nautilusint.org SWITZERLAND Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25

College contacts Induction visits See www.nautilusint.org event section for dates of upcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team.

For further information, email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Lee Moon on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Industrial support for cadets An industrial official is appointed to each of the main nautical colleges.

In addition the industrial department is responsible for representing

Out of office hours contact Nautilus 24/7 g click on the Live Chat box to start our instant messaging service g call us free of charge from 45 countries using the special freephone numbers listed at www.nautilusint.org g send an SMS text message to +44 (0)7860 017 119 and we’ll get back to you g email us at helpline@nautilus247.org g reach us via Skype (username nautilus-247)

trainee officers in line with all members that we represent; please contact the Union on +44 (0)20 8989 6677. Your enquiry will then be directed to the relevant industrial organiser for your employer/sponsoring company.

The union also facilitates a Young Maritime Professionals Forum to provide an opportunity for young members to engage in discussions on the specific challenges facing young workers in the maritime profession.

For further information, members should contact Danny McGowan at ymp@nautilusint.org.

g MNOPF and NPA pension forums Tuesday 6 June 2017 at 1030hrs, coffee served at 1000hrs, and a light lunch will be served after the meeting.

Hilton Hotel, 3 Thomas Steers Way, Liverpool, L1 8LW A further meeting has also been scheduled for this year for September 2017 in Plymouth.

Keep checking the website and register. www.nautilusint.org/en/ what-we-say/events Contact: +44 (0)1293 804644.

Quiz and crossword answersACDB Quiz answers 1. According to the BIMCO/ICS Manpower Report, China is now the largest supplier of ships’ officers.

2. According to IHS Markit, a total of 269 cruiseships are currently in service around the world.

3. Italy has a 39% share of the world orderbook for cruiseships.

4. According to the operators’ association, lnterferry, more than 816m passengers are carried on ferries in the EU each year.

5. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a total of 59 16,000TEU-plus containerships are presently on order?

6. British Railways’ ferry operations were transferred to Sealink UK in 1979.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Report; 4. Nessie; 9. Spat; 10. Deep-rooted; 11. Pumice; 12. Zeppelin; 13. Reichstag; 15. Kong; 16. Sure; 17. Gabardine; 21. Purblind; 22. Sashay; 24. Decahedron; 25. Beer; 26. Endure; 27. Beirut.

Down: 1. Rupture; 2. Petri; 3. Redress; 5. Enrapt; 6. Stone-cold; 7. Evening; 8. New Zealanders; 14. Cardboard; 16. Squeeze; 18. Absence; 19. Nearest; 20. Linear; 23. Sober.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

Congratulations to Nautilus member Michael Owen, who has won the prize draw for the March cryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from March Across: 1. Restrained; 6. Isis; 9. Stand; 10. Retaliate; 12. Printing press; 14. Palliate; 15. Adders; 17. Resign; 19. Stoppage; 21. Bamboozlement; 24. Inaudible; 25. Idiot; 26. Maya; 27. Tarantella.

Down: 1. Rash; 2. Scalpel; 3. Red Riding Hood; 4. Irritate; 5. Eaten; 7. Siamese; 8. Stepsister; 11. Lepidopterist; 13. Opprobrium; 16. Etcetera; 18. Summary; 2o. Anthill; 22. Zebra; 23. Etna.

To suggest an organisation which could appear here, email telegraph@nautilusint.org

Maritime & Coastguard Agency +44 (0)23 8032 9100 www.gov.uk/mca Implements the UK government’s maritime safety policy and works to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea.

International Transport Workers’ Federation +44 (0)20 7403 2733 www.itfglobal.org A federation of over 700 unions representing over 4.5 million transport workers from 150 countries.

Merchant Navy Welfare Board www.mnwb.org Umbrella body for the UK maritime charity sector, promoting cooperation between organisations that provide welfare services to merchant seafarers and their dependants within the UK.

Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport + 31 88 489 00 00 www.ilent.nl Dutch maritime authority (separate from Dutch coastguard).

Merchant Navy Training Board www.mntb.org.uk UK organisation promoting maritime education and training, and providing careers guidance.

Administers the Careers at Sea Ambassadors scheme, under which serving seafarers can volunteer to give careers talks in UK schools.

Seafarers UK (formerly King George’s Fund for Sailors) +44 (0)20 7932 0000 www.seafarers.uk Supports and promotes UK charities helping seafarers from the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy and fishing fleets.

Often organises places for maritime fundraisers to enter marathons and other charity challenges.

38-39_infospread.indd 38

infoch@nautilusint.org

Northern office Nautilus International Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 Fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 enquiries@nautilusint.org

Useful organisations

Swiss Maritime Navigation Office +41 (0)61 270 91 20 www.smno.ch Swiss maritime authority.

g Professional & Technical Forum Wednesday 12 April 2017 at 1300hrs for 1330hrs FNV Bondgenoten, Pegasusweg 200, 3067 KX Rotterdam The Forum deals with a wide range of technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics of relevance to all members, including training and certification.

The meeting is open to all members (UK, NL & CH).

Contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 protech@nautilusint.org

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network +44 (0)300 012 4279 www.seafarerswelfare.org Global organisation providing a 24 hour, year-round multi-lingual helpline for all seafarers’ welfare and support needs, as well as an emergency welfare fund.

SAIL (Seafarers’ Information and Advice Line) 08457 413 318 +44 (0)20 8269 0921 www.sailine.org.uk UK-based citizens’ advice service helping seafarers and their families with issues such as debt, benefit

entitlements, housing, pensions and relationships.

Seafarers’ Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.org.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers.

Includes the Dreadnought health service.

Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)1752 812674 www.communitynetworkprojects.org Telephone friendship project connecting retired UK seafarers at home through a fortnightly telephone conference service.

Seatax Ltd +44 (0)1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk Company providing specialist tax advice for merchant seafarers.

Marine Society +44 (0)20 7654 7050 www.marine-society.org UK charity dedicated to the learning and professional development of seafarers.

Offers 120,000 books to ships through its library service, plus distance-learning programmes and scholarship schemes, including the Nautilus Slater Fund.

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April 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Roger Cliffe-Thompson, Mariners’ Park activities coordinator

g

It’s fair to say that it’s been a varied career for Roger Cliffe-Thompson.

Having tried his hand at hairdressing, he’s also dabbled with being a training manager whilst more recently finding time to pen odes to his Merseyside home.

It was a long and winding road that started the career of a young Liverpudlian who was pushed into his first role by his mother. ‘Because I wasn’t interested in school my mother made me an apprentice hairdresser, from which I opened a salon,’ he recalls. ‘After that I spent my career working across a number of roles, including as the national training manager for Steiner training their maritime managers on ships — including the QE2!

‘Then my work life came to a full stop.

I inherited a disability and stayed in the house for a couple of years until my son said “you’re behaving like an old man, Dad — do something!” I took up creative writing, then started reading at poetry competitions. I also launched a website — www.poem800.com — with 800 poems I collected about Liverpool for its 800th birthday. Then finally I retired for good — or so I thought.’

After hanging up his suit for the last time, the ‘retired’ Roger decided to apply to Age UK Wirral in August 2013. After accepting their offer of a job, the now 70-year-old became the men’s activities coordinator for Age UK at the Nautilus

Mariners’ Park welfare complex in Wallasey.

‘Being able to work with my own peer group and hopefully make a difference was what got me interested in the job in the first place,’ Roger says. ‘I thought “I can work with these people” and I was right.

As part of his unexpected career extension he promotes an active lifestyle for the residents at Wallasey as well as lecturing on maritime matters. He says he loves every minute of the time he gets to spend with the those who call Mariners’ Park home.

‘Each day is different here and the unusual is usual at Nautilus,’ Roger adds.

‘Mariners’ Park residents, as a group,

are unusual — in a good way — and are extremely proactive instead of being reactive. Whatever life has thrown at them they grasp it with both hands. One minute you are saddened to hear that they have been taken to hospital seriously ill, then a few weeks later they are back, large as life.’

And the best part of it all for Roger is that he gets to spend his retirement with great people in the city he loves most.

‘I love this part of the world. Merseyside is my spiritual and physical home,’ he concludes. ‘It is really rewarding to work with seafarers who, although their work experiences are totally different to mine, are still the most welcoming and accepting people you are ever likely to meet.’

Wherev er you are , so are we Join now

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: UK: +44 (0)151 639 8454 NL: +31 (0)10 477 11 88 CH: +41 (0)61 262 24 24

Join today so we can be there for you too!

Pay and conditions Nautilus International is the first truly trans-boundary trade union for maritime professionals, reflecting the global nature of the industry. We negotiate with employers on issues including pay, working conditions, working hours and pensions to secure agreements which recognise members’ skills and experience, and the need for safety for the maritime sector.

Legal services Nautilus Legal offers members a range of legal services free of charge. There are specialist lawyers to support members in work related issues and a number of non-work related issues. The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54 countries to provide support where members need it most.

Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expert advice on work-related problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.

Certificate protection Members are entitled to free financial protection, worth up to £120,700, against the loss

38-39_infospread.indd 39

of income if their certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry.

training. The Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

Extra savings Members can take advantage of many additional discounts and benefits organised at a local level. These include tax advice, insurance discounts and advice on pension matters. In the Netherlands, discounts are organised through FNV, and trade union contributions are mostly tax-friendly, entitling members to receive a significant part of their contributions back.

In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are.

Officials regularly see members onboard their ships and visit cadets at college. Further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and conferences. The Union has offices in London, Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel.

There are also representatives based in France, Spain and Singapore.

International representation Nautilus International represents members’ views on a wide range of national and international bodies including the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA).

We work at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on key global regulations covering working conditions, health and safety and

Join us today…

Call +44 (0)151 639 8454 Visit www.nautilusint.org Email membership@nautilusint.org g For the full range of member benefits visit www.nautilusint.org

OR g Speak with our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454

Your union, your voice The Union represents the voice of more than 22,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the industry at sea and ashore — including inland navigation, large yachts, deepsea and offshore.

For members, by members Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic trade union offering members many opportunities to become actively involved and have your say — at a local, national and international level.

22/03/2017 18:04

40 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2017

NEWS

Liferaft challenge aids cancer fund from Southampton Solent A University and Warsash Maritime Officer cadets and students

Academy are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for a cancer charity after spending 24 hours in a liferaft.

The 24 youngsters, pictured right, braved the elements in three liferafts, which were secured to buoys in the River Hamble, during a day-long challenge in aid of Sail 4 Cancer, a specialist respite charity.

Phase 1 Princess Cruises ETO cadet Robert Archibald was one of the participants. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The liferaft challenge was a tough experience,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sleeping conditions were cold and cramped, with foghorns interrupting our sleep throughout the night. The waters were rough during the peaks of the tides, and at times the lack of activity made it boring. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;To cope with these circumstances, we passed the time with card games and music. We also ended up napping for most of the morning just to pass the time,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he added. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The experience was something I hope never to have to undergo for real, though I gained some insight into how I would cope.

I was happy to raise a significant amount of money for Sail4Cancer.

And my own bed felt really good once I got home.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fellow Princess Cruises ETO cadet Declan Hancock said: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It was

Fuel costs could rise by $60bn extra US$60bn a year for their F bunker fuel when new global limits on Shipowners may have to pay an

a long 24 hours, as it was very hard to sleep being so cold and with our legs weaved around each other.

However, I met some amazing people and we just kept reminding ourselves what we were doing it for. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This cause meant a lot to me because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a family member very close to me who had cancer and thankfully beat it. So, knowing

that these charities are helping cure, treat and help people with cancer is a very special thing.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Senior lecturer Ian Arnold, who coordinated the event, said it was the fourth year running that Warsash officer cadets have supported the 24-hour liferaft challenge. This year, with help from Solent Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union, university

students and a member of staff from the main campus had been recruited.

Companies supporting this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenge included Survitec Group, who provided the liferafts; Sunsail Events, who provided life jackets and foul weather gear; Sodexo, who donated hot food to help sustain the cadets through the challenge; and

The Warsash Association.

Last year, officer cadets who took part in the challenge raised over ÂŁ12,000 for sail4cancer and Warsash has now donated more than ÂŁ45,000 to the charity since the challenge was first held in 2014. g To find out more and to donate, go to the Sail 4 Cancer fundraising page: www.sail4cancer.org.

sulphur content kick in at the end of the decade, a new study warns.

Research published by the market analysts Wood Mackenzie last month suggests that a combination of higher crude prices and tight availability of marine gas oil (MGO) could result in the cost of MGO rising to almost four times that of heavy fuel oil.

It says owners need to act ahead of the implementation of the International Maritime Organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worldwide 0.5% sulphur cap and decide whether to switch to alternative fuels or install scrubbers. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Installing scrubbers may be an economically attractive option,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said Wood Mackenzie research director Sushant Gupta. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Although there is an initial investment, shippers can expect a high rate of return of between 20% and 50% depending on investment cost, MGO-fuel oil spread and shipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fuel consumption. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Despite attractive returns, penetration rate for scrubbers could be limited by access to finance, scrubber manufacturing capacity, dry-dock space and technological uncertainties,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he pointed out. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The shipping industry is traditionally slow to move, but in this case, early adopters may hugely benefit.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

How many more times?

Unions call for inquiry after sistership of sunken cement carrier is detained in UK port with similar safety problems

P

Nautilus and the RMT union have repeated calls for an inquiry into the safety of general cargoships operating around the UK coast following the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;disturbingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; detention of a sistership to the cement carrier Cemfjord, which sank off Scotland in 2015 with the loss of all eight seafarers onboard.

The Cyprus-ďŹ&#x201A;agged Cemgulf was detained at Ellesmere Port for 10 days after a Maritime & Coastguard Agency inspection found six deďŹ ciencies, including four grounds for detention, including defects in the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety management system, inoperative lifeboats, insufďŹ cient abandon ship drills, lack of onboard training and and inadequate voyage or passage plan.

In a letter to shipping minister John Hayes, the two unions warn

that the case raises concern over a continued culture of non-compliance with basic safety measures, poor operational oversight and a complete disregard for recommendations made by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in response to the Cemfjord tragedy.

The MAIB report on the loss of the Cemfjord concluded that the capsize of the vessel was a predictable accident that could have been avoided, with the decision to enter the Pentland Firth rather than to seek shelter being the result of poor passage planning and commercial pressures.

Investigations revealed that the ship had been at sea with signiďŹ cant safety deďŹ ciencies related to its rescue boat launching arrangements and bilge pumping system. In the 13 months before

Eight seafarers died when the German-owned Cemfjord capsized in the Pentland Firth in January 2015 Picture: MAIB

the accident, Cemfjord was found to have spent 54% of its time with exemptions from safety regula-

tions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 40% of this related to lifeboat defects.

Nautilus and the RMT told the

minister that the detention of the Cemgulf, with many similar problems, indicates that the lessons of the Cemfjord have not been learned.

The unions argue that the recent MAIB report on the collision in August 2015 off Peterhead between the Cyprus-registered cargo ship Daroja and the St Kitts & Nevis-ďŹ&#x201A;agged bunker barge Erin Wood provided further evidence of substandard operations and excessive commercial pressures in the sector.

Since the loss of the Swanland, in the Irish Sea in November 2011, with the loss of six seafarersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives, the MAIB has investigated at least 29 safety incidents involving UK and non-UK registered cargo vessels, including incidents of loss of life or injuries to seafarers.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As well as the greater risk to seafarer health and safety, the operation of ageing tonnage under ďŹ&#x201A;ags which apparently take little interest in the quality of the vessels on their books also undermines responsible operators of safety compliant, environmentally sound ships,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the unions add. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nautilus and the RMT both question how many more times it will take before such systemic safety failures are effectively challenged,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; they told the minister. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We believe the scale of the problems identiďŹ ed by these repeated reports is such that a public inquiry into the UK coastal cargo sector is warranted, to reform this badly regulated sector of the shipping industry before more seafarers are injured or die at work in this sector.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

EAST COAST COLLEGE IS COMING!

GREAT YARMOUTH AND LOWESTOFT COLLEGES ARE JOINING FORCES Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really excited about the launch of East Coast College and wanted to let \RX NQRZ WKDW ZKLOVW RXU QDPH LV FKDQJLQJ \RX ZLOO VWLOO EH DEOH WR EHQHÂżW IURP our comprehensive range of STCW, GWO, Nautical Institute, OPITO and MCA approved training courses at our Lowestoft campus.

We look forward to seeing you at East Coast College in 2017 www.gyc.ac.uk | www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp

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22/03/2017 18:04